Far Away
by DaggersOfEmotion
Summary: Jenny's 6th year of Hogwarts is approaching and she now faces a new problem, which becomes a gateway to other problems. She must sort through her priorities and decide how to act, for it will affect everyone around her and perhaps even fate itself.
1. Don't Tell Her

"Okay, okay," I gave in to Ginny's demand. I opened up my new journal and flipped through the pages. I had given mine to Harry last year when I left for the Department of Mysteries, thinking I would never see him again. I never got around to asking for it back, and I didn't really feel a need to. I didn't mind him keeping a little memento from me. I still wore the necklace he gave me at the Yule Ball and now he has my journal. It made me feel closer to him even though he was in Surrey.

"This one I wrote at the end of last year, after the battle at the Department of Mysteries," I looked down, shifting my guitar on my knee.

"When did you know that nothing was right?

Were you just happy to hide?

Behind dreams and broken lies

There's a crack in your perfect smile

That's been growing a while

Did you think you'd go out in style?

With all that you know

How long did you know?

You took me for granted

I don't understand it

Went looking for answers

I came up empty handed

But don't worry about me

Cause I'm stronger then you think

And I know it's a blessing

I came up empty handed

Can you be whoever you like

You just turn off the lights

And find yourself a different disguise

So you hide the scars you built over time-"

I stopped when Ebony announced her presence with a screech before landing on the windowsill. Ginny's head turned at the new arrival while I practically dropped my guitar and sprinted at the owl. Believing the note to be from Harry, I opened it eagerly. What I saw was not what I expected.

"Jenny?" Ginny asked, standing up, "what is it?"

"It's Dumbledore- he's coming here"

Ginny knew it was risky right now. With all of the disasters and chaos being caused by dark wizards lately, Mrs. Weasley was under the impression Hogwarts was no longer the safest place for her children. Mr. Weasley was being followed, all of us were. We had to be careful.

"Don't tell her"

"What is it he wants?" she asked, obviously debating whether or not she should betray her allegiance to me now or later. I understood, of course, that her mother would be furious if she found out her daughter was lying to her about something she felt so strongly about.

I pursed my lips, "I can't tell you"

Not knowing whether or not Ginny would tell or how soon, I grabbed my mokeskin pouch and slipped my guitar into it. There was no telling how long it would be until I returned. I pulled my broom out and opened the window completely. I turned to look at Ginny, having a sense of déjà vu. I kicked off and soared outside. I spotted Dumbledore right away, since he was just ahead of me in the driveway. I landed a few feet from him, holding my broom at my side.

"There's no need to fly, Jenny. Take my arm," he held his arm out, "oh, and could you put this in your pouch?" He held out a sword. A _sword_. I curled my fingers around its hilt and slid it in my purse, bemused at the funny object and its purpose. I put my broom in after and hesitantly placed my hand over his arm. Suddenly, my world was thrown askew. Reality had twisted and churned like warped tunnel. As soon as it came, it went.

I felt nauseous.

We were now standing before 12 Grimuald Place.

"You're most impressive, most people vomit the first time"

"Can't imagine why," I said sarcastically, trying to pull myself together.

"Come inside," Dumbledore spoke bluntly, moving towards the brick wall to reveal the building hidden behind a veil of magic. I followed him in, skeptical to what we were going to do. "I'm not sure if you know, Jenny, but Sirius left this place to Harry"

"And Harry gave it to the Order to be used as headquarters"

Dumbledore turned to me, "well, you seem well informed. I assume you've kept in touch with Harry, then?" I nodded, following him inside. "His most prized possessions remain in his bedroom upstairs"

I looked up the stairs in the direction of Sirius' room. When I looked back I found that Dumbledore had disappeared. Knowing Dumbledore, I went ahead and started up the stairs. Sirius' door was open, and I walked in slowly. It was weird to be at his home without seeing him. I could feel his lingering presence in his room, however. Perhaps it was that the room smelled of Sirius. It smelled distinctly of wet dog, maybe even so far as saying it smelled like a drain. It wasn't particularly pleasant, but it was a familiar scent that made me mournful.

I wandered around the room, my heart taking a blow when I saw a layer of dust had been spread thickly over the dresser. I picked up a picture frame, blowing dust off of it. It was Sirius and James, Harry's dad, laughing, clad in Hogwarts robes. I smiled and reached to set it back in its place, feeling it was only right to leave it where it had been. I stopped when I saw a key sitting where the picture had been. It had been hidden behind it.

I took the key into my hands. It was small and gold, adorned with intricate designs.

"There you are, Jenny. I'm assuming you're curious about the letter I sent you," Dumbledore sauntered into the room.

"Now that you mention it, yeah"


	2. The Key

"How much do you know about Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked. I wasn't shocked at all by the name, seeing as Harry and I- even Hermione (sometimes) used it nonchalantly.

"He's the dark wizard who gave Harry the scar," I answered skeptically, "he killed his parents and wants to kill him, too"

"Do you know why?"

I shook my head, "I believe it has to do with those prophecies"

He nodded, "Last year Voldemort wanted those prophecies. He tricked you and Harry into getting them, because those whom prophecies are about are the only ones who can retrieve them. Fifteen years ago, Professor Trewlany gave the prophecy about Harry and Voldemort. He heard about it, but only the first half. Voldemort wanted those prophecies because he believed they held the key to defeating Harry; his only threat"

"Sir, what does this have to do with me?" He looked at me with that twinkle in his eye. He wasn't going to tell me, I figured that much. Maybe he was trying to tell me something else, but how much can you really pull from one look?

"During Harry's second year, Voldemort possessed Miss Weasley with a diary" I nodded, to show I knew what he was talking about. "Voldemort put part of his soul into that diary, which allowed him to live on as a sort of memory. I believe I have found another object with a piece of Voldemort's soul"

"Sir, how can someone _split their soul_?" I inquired. I was intrigued and horrified at the same time. Not just horrified- but terrified for Harry and myself. What did this mean?

"A very dark sort of magic. I'm not sure exactly what he has done, but I believe I have found another- and I need your help"

"Dumbledore," Snape appeared in the doorway behind him. I could tell by his facial expression that he was not pleased.

"Ah, Severus-"

"The hall, please," Snape asked, wanting to talk to Dumbledore alone. Dumbledore left, both of their gazes lingered on me as they left. They were obviously contradicting each other, probably going to argue. I turned back to the dresser. Seeing the photo was crooked, I reached out to straighten it. My gaze fell upon another photograph- one of Harry.

"_Is it really wise to involve a student in this?" _Snape's voice argued from downstairs. I froze in place, my energy focused on hearing more of the conversation. Their voices were rising and falling and I couldn't make out any more sentences. I crept towards the door in effort to hear more.

"_What if she isn't?" _Snapehissed. I stopped walking when silence was the only reply to his question. Footsteps started up the stairs and my heart stopped beating. What would they do when they found out I was eavesdropping?

To my relief, it was Dumbledore who first appeared. "Come, its time," he held out his arm. The moment my hand touched his sleeve, my body was lurched through a warped tunnel transporting us to who knows where.

When we landed, I swayed forward before regaining balance. I still wasn't used to apparating. My feet crinkled dead leaves blanketing the overgrowth beneath me. I noticed the overgrowth was hiding a path. I followed the trail with my eyes to an old shack with broken windows and a sagging roof.

It's distinguishing feature, however, was a snake pinned to the door.

"Wands out, Jenny," Dumbledore warned, pulling out his wand. I pulled mine out and cautiously followed him into the run-down shack.

"What is this place?" I asked, entering the home. _It looks as if no one had lived here for a century_-

I got a better look at the room as I walked farther in. It had cobwebs in every corner, a thick layer of dust, and smelled terrible.

-_maybe longer. _

"This is the Gaunt Shack," he said absentmindedly, obviously focused on something else. I let my eyes wander, but I felt an air of danger that made me want to stick close to my Professors. Yes, Snape was there- just in opposition.

"Wait-" Dumbledore raised his free hand. I stopped in my tracks, wondering if there was danger. A flash of light brought my eyes to the ground. Dumbledore stepped forward with caution, stopping on a certain squeaky floorboard. "Jenny, if you would"

I nodded, slipping my wand into my pocket and bent down near the floorboard.

"Dumbledore," Snape warned. I looked up, realizing Snape didn't want me to touch it. With a nod from Dumbledore, I leaned back, allowing Snape to blast the floorboard into the air. Beneath the floor sat a golden box that seemed to glow with magic. I felt the tension in the room rise as my hands reached for the box, finally settling when I wrapped my hands around it and lifted it out. There was one problem, however.

It was locked.


	3. I Will Carry You

"Allow me," Dumbledore shuffled over to me, leaning down and pointing his wand at the lock. The tip of his wand glowed, but the lid wouldn't budge. "Jenny," he handed it to me for me to try. I pointed my wand at the lock, startled that just brushing the tip against it made the lid pop open. Inside was a plush velvet cushion, holding a large ring with an even bigger black jewel in the middle. My eyes widened at the ring's magnificence. It had an odd design in the middle, but before I could fully process the shape, Professor Dumbledore picked up the ring and placed it on his finger. Immediately, he howled in pain.

I dropped the chest, "Professor!" I wasn't entirely sure if I was calling for Snape or for Dumbledore. All I knew was that the ring was hurting Dumbledore, possibly killing him. His fingertips were blackening, consuming his hand. It seemed it was poisoning him or perhaps it had been cursed.

Within moments, Snape was at my side. "Take it off of him," he ordered, pulling his wand out. I was confused- wouldn't it hurt me? It only took another moment of Dumbledore's agony to make me snatch the ring from him. To my surprise, it didn't have any affect on me. Even so, Dumbledore's hand was now completely black. Snape was muttering something, healing Dumbledore, I assumed.

The screaming stopped and was replaced by moaning. "Sword… Jenny… destroy…" Dumbledore rasped desperately. I reached into my purse, rummaging for the sword. Finally feeling the cool metal of the handle, I drew it out. I raised it in the air and stabbed straight down at the ring. What had startled me was not the clash of metal against metal. There was a sort of surge of energy that went through the sword. I pulled back, looking up at my teachers. They stared back, awestruck.

I set down the sword, lifting the ring up to my face to examine it. The mark inside of the stone was a triangle with an eye in the center.

_What does it mean?_

/

"What's happened to you hand? Will it be okay? What's with this ring? What does this mean? _Dumbledore_!" I fired questions, but he didn't seem to be listening. "Professor Snape?" I attempted, but he only looked at me as if it wasn't my place to speak. He always looked like that. This time, however, I found a trace of fear in his eyes.

"What about this ring?" I held it up, angry that no one would tell me what was going on.

"Keep it- only you can wear it," Dumbledore said with an involuntarily shaky voice.

"Or else they'll be cursed?"

"Jenny, it's imperative that you do not speak of this to anyone. Not even Harry. Do you understand?"

I looked down at the ring- could it be of such importance that I couldn't tell Harry? Usually if something was important, he would be first to know. This ring must mean more than I can comprehend.

"Yes," I replied, slipping it onto my finger. _Why is it only I can touch this ring?_

"It's about time you go home. It's been a long day." I grabbed Dumbledore's arm, my body suddenly being sucked through a straw into the core of the Burrow. "Smells like soup," Dumbledore mused at the scent, leaving as soon as he came.

"Jenny! My goodness- where have you been?" Mrs. Weasley rushed out from the kitchen when she heard me shut the door.

"Dumbledore," I shrugged, now knowing how else to explain.

"He just snatched you up, didn't he? Something dangerous, no doubt…" she raved. I looked up the stairs, seeing Ron watching from above. Down the hall, Ginny opened her door to peek at the scene. "…no business going back to Hogwarts! It's _far_ too dangerous!"

"Molly! You're being barmy. There's nowhere safer than Hogwarts. Dumbledore's a great wizard who wants nothing more than our children's safety," Mr. Weasley stepped in. I looked away, backing into my room to escape being in the middle. It would be easier for Mr. Weasley to calm her without an audience.

"You were gone for hours, I had to, Jenny. I'm sorry," Ginny reasoned when I slipped into our room.

"It's fine, Ginny. It's not your fault"

"So… what happened?"

"I can't tell you," I said, plopping onto my bed. Today had been awfully exhausting.

"I figured," she sighed, "but it was worth a shot." She slumped onto her bed. "Are you too tired to play?"

I glared at her.

"Okay! Okay. Just hoping you would, I enjoy hearing you sing"

"I hate you," I groaned, pulling myself up and getting my guitar out.

"Yeah I know it hurts,

Yeah I know you're scared

Walking down the road that leads

To who knows where.

Don't you hang your head,

Don't you give up yet,

When courage starts to disappear

I will be right here.

When your world breaks down

And the voices tell you turn around.

When your dreams give out

I will carry you, carry you.

When the stars go blind

And the darkness starts to flood your eyes.

When you're falling behind,

I will carry you.

Everybody cries,

Everybody bleeds,

No one ever said that life's an easy thing.

That's the beauty of it,

When you lose your way,

Close your eyes and go to sleep

And wake up to another day.

When your world breaks down

And the voices tell you turn around.

When your dreams give out

I will carry you, carry you.

When the stars go blind

And the darkness starts to flood your eyes.

When you're falling behind,

I will carry you.

You should know now that you're not alone.

Take my heart and we will find,

You will find,

Your way home.

When your dreams give out

I will carry you, carry you.

When the stars go blind

and the darkness starts to flood your eyes.

When you're falling behind,

I will carry you, carry you,

I will carry you"


	4. Good Morning

I yawned, stretching my arms in the air as I walked out of my room. It was late, but I was parched and the kitchen wasn't far from my room. As I passed the living room I came across Harry's trunk, Hedwig sitting on top of it in a cage.

"Hello Hedwig," I smiled dreamily. Wait- Hedwig? I did a double take. Yes, it was definitely Hedwig.

"Mrs. Weasley!" I called, running to the stairs.

"Jenny, what is it?" she called down, her hair a mat of red frizz.

"I was only wondering when Harry got here"

"What? Harry? Harry who?"

She was obviously tired.

"Harry Potter, of course!" I laughed.

"I think I would know if Harry Potter were in my house!"

"His trunk is in the living room- and Hedwig"

"No dear, I seriously doubt that," she laughed. On cue, Hedwig chirped, alerting the house of her presence- and probably waking up the lot of them.

"Harry? Did someone say Harry?" Ron appeared on the stairs, leaning over the railing. Of all people, he was the last I would think would wake up. He was, to put it lightly, a heavy sleeper.

"Me, nosy. Is he up there with you?"

"Of course not. I think I would know if my best friend were in my room, wouldn't I?"

"Is that an owl I heard?" Hermione's head popped out of our room.

"You haven't seen Harry, have you? Apparently he's wandering about the house"

"Really?" Hermione asked eagerly. It had been all summer since any of us had seen him.

"Really," Harry snickered from the doorway. How long had he been standing there, laughing at our confused conversation?

I grinned, elated at his arrival, and raced across the house. I swept into Harry's open arms, feeling at ease in his embrace.

"Harry!" Hermione ran into the room. I pulled back, stepping away so everyone could come greet Harry. I still felt lingering warmth from his touch, even as time passed. After Hermione hugged Harry, Ron had his turn, then Ginny, and then Mrs. Weasley.

I couldn't help but notice differences in Harry's stature. He had grown at least a foot taller and his hair had gotten a bit longer. I caught myself smiling, and blushed when I realized Hermione was aware of it.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a smile on her face.

"I didn't know- Dumbledore," Harry snickered, shrugging. _Dumbledore_. In the corner of my eye, I saw Ron reaching towards Hermione. I turned to see what was happening, when Ron wiped his finger across the corner of her lip.

"You've got a bit of toothpaste…" he explained sheepishly when he realized everyone was watching. I snickered, exchanging glances with Hermione.

"Come now, Harry. It's late and you must be tired. Run upstairs- you can stay in Fred and George's room. They're staying at the shop," she ushered him towards the stairs. I watched him walk up, wanting desperately to talk with him.

"You're staring," Ginny stepped on front of me.

"And pouting," Hermione added with a snicker.

"Look who's talking!" I laughed, pushing her playfully.

"Come on," she laughed, turning to go back to bed. I smiled and looked down, following her back to our room.

/

"Harry" I sat on the edge of his bed, gently shaking his shoulder with my hand when he didn't wake up.

"Jenny!" his eyes popped open and his hand rummaged for his glasses. I reached to pick them up, placing them in his hands.

"Tell me!" I said eagerly, bouncing as I spoke.

"What?" he asked, still frazzled from just waking up.

"You went out with Dumbledore yesterday, didn't you?"

"Oh, yeah," he nodded, understanding my question.

"Are you allowed to tell me?" I asked, taking into consideration that Dumbledore may have asked him not to.

"I went to see Horace Slughorn"

"Who's that?"

"He'll be our potions teacher this year. We went there to convince him to come back"

"Is that all?"

"Yeah," he glanced at the door. I sat up, turning to see who was there. The door opened and a gorgeous blonde woman sauntered in with a silver tray of food. It was Fleur, Bill's fiancé whom neither Ginny, Hermione, nor Mrs. Weasley liked.

"Ello 'arry, eet eez a lovely morning, eez eet not?" she smiled, setting the tray down between Harry and I. I had to scoot back in order not to get hit.

"Yeah, great," he smiled, shifting into a sitting position. Suddenly, everything became uncomfortable.

"Splendid," I added, glancing at Fleur as she left. I looked back at Harry, noticing he was watching her walk out of the room. I pursed my lips and slapped his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Nothing, now eat your breakfast," I scowled, refusing to make eye contact. I sat in silence as he ate his toast.

"Would you like some?"

"Sorry?" I turned to look at him, realizing I was dazing off. I sometimes did that when I've recently woken up… or thinking.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked, gesturing to his tray of food. It _was_ enough for two people. Fleur overdid it. _Or did she mean to?_

"Oh, um, sure," I took a piece of toast while Harry targeted his eggs. I munched away while deep in thought.

"Harry, aren't we supposed to get out O.W.L. scores soon?"

"Oh, yeah"

"How do you think you did?"

"I reckon I passed everything"

"I'm sure you did better than that," I snickered, grabbing the empty tray and standing up. I smiled coyly as I turned to take the tray back to the kitchen. Hermione scurried past me, muttering in her panicked state. "What's up with you, Hermione?"

"It's our O.W.L.s! They're here!" she screeched. I hurried to the kitchen and cleaned up, while Hermione got our O.W.L. results. She handed me mine and we opened them at once. "I've gotten all Os and an E in DADA. How did you do, Jenny?"

"All Os," I looked up, afraid she would be upset. She was always the smart one.

She seemed a bit surprised and, perhaps- jealous. "Oh, Jenny, it's alright. I already know you're spectacular at everything- especially Defense Against the Dark Arts. You even got an O when Umbridge was teaching!"

"It wasn't easy," I laughed. I didn't mean that the material was hard; I meant the teacher was unbearable. Trust me, if you had to spend hours stuck in a room with that sadistic toad, you'd understand.

"Good morning, Harry," Hermione smiled. I turned and saw Harry walking down the stairs. "Your scores," she held out his envelope. He opened it and read it with a smile that faded quickly.

"What is it?"

"I've only got an Exceeds Expectations in Potions"

"What does that mean?" I asked, wondering why it was so bad. It was the second highest grade, which seemed good to me.

"It's not enough to become an Auror"


	5. Empty Handed

"I _will_ have order! I _will_ have order!" An Umbridge doll unicycled through the air. I grinned, finding the doll quite funny.

"Ah, thought you'd like it" George popped up beside me. "What do you think? Did we capture her character well enough?"

It was an invention with the intent of forever mocking the sadistic toad. "It's brilliant"

As much as I enjoyed the Umbridge toy, I didn't want to have to hear her voice every day. I began browsing through their candies, recognizing many of them, when I spotted a familiar face stocking the shelves.

"Adrienne?" I called. The girl turned, greeting me with a bright smile.

"Jenny!" she pushed a box of chocolates aside and hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" I inquired. Surely she didn't come here daily to organize the chocolates.

"Been here all summer! Fred said they could use some help running the shop," she shrugged.

"Fred, eh? You've been spending a fair amount of time with my brother, Adry" I smiled coyly. She blushed, glancing in different directions. "Aha!" I grinned.

"Don't! Don't tell anyone," she tried to keep her face serious, but it was difficult for her to hide her excitement.

"Okay," I assured her. She smiled, turning back to her shelves and continuing to stock them. I turned away, smiling to myself. I had leverage, not that I could see myself needing it anytime soon. I found myself before a fountain filled with crystal heart-shaped vials of pink liquid.

"Love potions, eh?" Fred and George appeared beside me.

"Yes, they really do work," George assured me.

"Then again, you're doing just fine on your own," Fred added.

"Meaning?" I raised a brow coyly.

"Are you not dating Harry?" Fred inquired.

"None of your business," I walked away before they could see me blush. I walked up beside Hermione, who was observing a cage of little balls of fluff. They seemed to be alive, like pets, rolling around and squeaking.

"These are adorable," she squealed.

"Aren't they, now. Pygmy Puffs- can't breed them fast enough," Fred and George stood behind me once again.

"Are you two following me?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Why would you think that?"

"We're only trying to make sure our customers are satisfied"

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the cage. They _were_ awfully cute. I picked up a lavender one out of the cage and stroked it with my finger. It reminded me of the lavender quidditch gloves Harry had given me last year. It seemed to react well to me, as it was rolling around and squealing until I stopped tickling it. Then it stood up and opened its little eyes and looked up at me. _Wow- these must sell like wildfire_.

"Do you want that one?" Fred asked.

"Oh, no, I'm good," I insisted, reluctantly placing the little puff back into the cage. It looked as if I were forcing it to stay behind.

"We'll give it to you"

"No, no, it's okay" I couldn't possibly take anything from them. I already felt like a mooch for living at their house and not sharing my money with them. Mrs. Weasley _insisted_ that I keep my money separate. She didn't want me to give them any charity. I argued that since I was staying there and was a part of the Weasley family, that it was only right I share my funds. She was persistent in her answer, though.

"How much for this?" Ron walked up to us, holding something in his hand.

"Five galleons"

"How much for me?" He reworded.

"Five galleons"

"I'm your brother," he argued.

"Ten galleons," they shrugged, walking off.

"Come on, let's go," he groaned, heading for the door. I looked back at the little lavender puff, drowning in a sea of pink.

As we passed through the doorway of the shop, the atmosphere became gloomy and somber. It was no longer a world of laughter, but of emptiness. The windows of the shops were boarded up with broken windows. People scurried by, quickening as they passed the security posters. There were four posters on it:

Bellatrix Lestrange "Known Death Eater"

Fenrir Greyback "Werewolf"

Lucius Malfoy "Caught"

Alaric Bennett "Known Death Eater"

"Hey," Harry stopped next to me, putting his arm around me comfortingly.

"Hey," I sighed, watching the moving photographs.

"Hey," Harry repeated.

"Uh, Harry? You already said that," I looked up at him, confused.

"No, not hey; hi- hey; _look_" I followed his gaze, finding Malfoy walking down the abandoned avenue. He glanced up and down the street before slipping quickly down an alley. "Come on," he pulled out his invisibility cloak, throwing it over us.

"What about Ron and Hermione?" I whispered, following close behind Harry.

"They won't fit, and Malfoy's getting away"

I suddenly felt like a spy, tailing a criminal. I couldn't help but see the similarities between our situation and a spy movie.

Harry was right- even just the two of us barely fit. The cloak barely covered us, especially since Harry had grown quite a bit. I couldn't help but notice how close we had to walk to avoid showing out ankles. As a consequence of my distracting thoughts, I stepped on Harry's shoe and stumbled. Neither of us spoke, but we stopped when Malfoy turned around, scanning the alley suspiciously. He opened the door of Borgin and Burkes, a store which sold a multitude of dark objects.

The door began to shut behind Malfoy and Harry hurried towards it in effort to enter the store. I grabbed his shoulder, holding him back. Once the door shut, he turned to me and whispered, "we could have gotten in"

"No, we would have been holding the door open for too long- they would have noticed," I whispered back, trying to explain my actions. At least I thought before acting rashly… this time.

"I can't hear anything from out here," he whispered as we stood outside the window. All we could do was watch Draco talk to the storeowner. It seemed they were arguing, no, Draco was threatening him. I was sure of it.

The moment Malfoy left, I ducked out from under the cloak. I stayed low, walking until I was out of the window's range.

"What are you doing?" Harry's voice whispered beside me.

"You'll see," I said, straightening up and walking across the storefront, entering the store as if I did so on a regular basis.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

"Yes, please, I was wondering if this was for sale," I said, pointing to an opal necklace. I didn't particularly care for it, but it was a conversation starter. I looked around the shop, trying to see what Malfoy had been looking at earlier. There was a large cabinet in the center of the room, but what appeal could that have to Malfoy?

"May I see some identification?" he asked. I turned back to look at the man, who was now eyeing me suspiciously. _Identification? _He was probably thinking I was a "light" wizard there to spy on him. It was true, but I wasn't after him- I was after Malfoy. _I'm being too nice! I said please! Dark wizards don't say please- do they?_

"How about this for identification?" I pulled out my wand, leaning menacingly on the counter with my wand resting before me. His eyes widened, moving from the wand to me. I felt a tug on the back of my shirt and I knew Harry was behind me. I straightened up, doing my best to look like a dissatisfied customer, "I wasn't interested, anyway." I snatched up my wand, making him flinch. I turned and walked out of the store, perplexed on Malfoy's little visit. I hadn't gotten a bit of information. Harry and I left empty handed.


	6. the Persistent Puff

"Where the bloody hell were you two?" Ron exploded when we got back.

"You had us worried!" Hermione exclaimed, hugging Harry.

"Calm down, we were only gone half an hour," I reminded her as she hugged me.

"You know how dangerous it is, especially for you two, _especially here and now_," she whispered.

I didn't know exactly what to say to that, so I just gave her a tight-lipped smile.

When we were back at the burrow, I went to my room and collapsed onto my bed. I hugged my pillow, plunging deep in thought. _What was Malfoy up to? Why did Borgin react like he did? _

_I gently pushed at the door, entering the shack with caution as the creaking noises could alert enemies. The house was silent, I realized, until the phone rang. I moved through the house, following the noise until I found the phone and stood before it. I stared at it for a moment, hesitating before picking it up. I picked up a piece of paper sitting beside the phone, to take a message, only for it to rip. I picked up another, only to have the same result. Suddenly, there was a whole stack of renewing blank papers. I crumpled the white sheet in my hand. I dropped the phone when I began slipping on the floor. _

_Was I slipping, or was the ground- tipping?_

A tickling sensation on my nose woke me up. I opened my eyes to find my entire world consumed by lavender fuzz. It was then I realized I had been dreaming. Certainly, I was awake now, but why was everything lavender? My eyes focused more as my mind began to think more clearly. There was a pygmy puff next to my face on the pillow. It was the very same pygmy puff from Fred and George's shop.

_I told them not to give it to me._ I groaned, realizing I would have to give it back. I looked down at the little puffball, my thoughts immobilized by its cuteness. _Don't look at me like that; I'm NOT keeping you._

/

I slid open the door to an empty compartment, allowing Harry to follow me inside. Ron and Hermione had prefect duties, so they would be joining us partway through the train ride. I found Harry smiling at the seat beside me. I followed his gaze to find the lavender pygmy puff sitting there, staring up at me.

"I _told_ them not to, and now it's attached itself!" I groaned, picking up the little puff.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, clearly confused.

"Fred and George were trying to give this little guy to me the other day, and the next morning I found him right under my nose!" I exasperated, furious at the twins for being so generous when they wouldn't allow me to give them anything in return.

The door slid open and Hermione and Ron walked in with an air of awkwardness. Confused, I felt awkwardness try to take a shot at me, but I refused to let it.

"Hey guys," I smiled, welcoming them to sit. Hermione sat stiffly next to Harry and Ron sat beside me.

"It's happened," Harry blurted randomly. We all stared at him, each of us with a completely different topic on our mind.

"What's happened?" I asked to clarify.

"Don't you see? He's one of them-"

"Stop it, Harry. I know where you're going with this," I interrupted, understanding his statement now.

"One of what?" Hermione asked. She hadn't been with us, so she hadn't a clue as to what we were talking about.

"Harry is under the impression that Draco Malfoy is a death eater"

"You're barking! What would you-know-who want with a sod like Malfoy?" Ron leaned forward, engrossed at the possibility.

"Well, then what was he doing in Borgin and Burkes?"

"You were _there_? Harry! You know how dangerous that sort of place is," Hermione shrieked, appalled that we would go to such a place under the circumstances.

"We had the invisibility cloak, Hermione. Besides, Jenny was there," he looked at me for support.

"Draco was only talking to Borgin, threatening him at most. It didn't seem like an initiation or anything," I found myself almost _defending_ the git. However, with Harry's extreme point of view, I had to balance it out a bit.

"Excuse me. Invitations for Harry Potter and Jennifer Bennett," a young woman appeared in the doorway. We turned and she handed us each a scroll.

"What does it say?" Hermione asked after she left.

"Professor Slughorn has invited us to a luncheon," a crease formed over my brow. It was rather odd to receive an invitation to lunch with a professor you haven't even met yet. Nevertheless, Harry and I went to his compartment where a wide spread of sandwiches and fruits sat on silver trays. It was a rather fancy setup for lunch on a train.

"Ah, Harry, good to see you again!" Professor Slughorn smiled upon our arrival. "This must be Miss Bennett, I've heard so much about you. Please, sit!"

I froze as I was about to sit down, Professor Slughorn's gesture alarmed me. "No, not you Harry, you sit by me, of course!" he chuckled. As I was already half-seated, I continued to my chair and watched as Harry uncomfortably made his way to Slughorn's side.

I was outrageously relieved when the lunch ended and we were allowed to go back to our compartments. In the crowded narrow hall I lost track of Harry. I assumed he was back at the compartment, since I had been near the back of the crowd. I was surprised to find only Ron and Hermione sitting in the little room.

"Hasn't Harry come back yet?" I sat down, a concerned line creasing my forehead.

"No, we thought he was with you," Hermione admitted.

"He was," I pursed my lips. What trouble had he gotten himself into, now?


	7. Butterflies

The train slowed to a stop, the steam screeching above us as the locks clicked onto the wheels. Harry still hadn't come back.

"Come on Jenny, we have to go," Ron said, lingering by the door.

"Oh, right," I said, starting to stand when I noticed the absence of my Pygmy Puff. "Hey, did either of you see a lavender Pygmy Puff?"

"No," Ron answered while Hermione shook her head.

"You go on, I'll catch up with you," I assured them, beginning my search of the compartment. I checked above me, below the seats, and on the benches. The lavender puff wasn't anywhere to be found. Frustrated, I retraced my steps to Slughorn's compartment. I was crawling out from under the table when the blinds suddenly rolled shut. Startled, I figured the train was starting to leave. _Darn it, how am I supposed to find it now?_ I thought, exasperated.

A distant squeak caught my ear. I initially thought it was the wheels beginning to turn, but when it repeated itself I identified it as a Pygmy Puff's cry. With newfound hope, I followed the noise down the hall. It was then that I found my puff… floating?

I approached the little creature that was hovering less than a foot above the ground. I crouched beside it, reaching forward with a gentle hand. My suspicions were confirmed when my hand touched an invisible warm surface supporting the puff. It squeaked, jumping off of it onto the ground and nestling itself in my other hand. I closed my fingers around the fabric, revealing a petrified Harry. I sighed and pulled out my wand.

"_Finite_!" Harry seemed to come to life as he took in a much-needed breath of air. He pulled up to a sitting position, resulting in a stream of blood trickling from his nose. My eyes widened and I immediately fished in my mokeskin pouch, pulling out a handkerchief and dabbing at Harry's nose.

"Thanks," he said, smiling briefly before taking the handkerchief. I smiled subconsciously before shoving the invisibility cloak into my pouch.

"We have to hurry, the train's going to leave any moment." I stood, extending my free hand to help him up. I could easily see that his nose had bled much more in a matter of moments. We hurried down the aisle and hopped off the train straight away.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened? Or are my thoughts correct?" I asked as we walked down the dark path in the silence of the night.

"Malfoy," he confirmed. I nodded. He _had_ run off. He went to spy on Malfoy and, by the looks of it, got caught. My thoughts changed direction when my puff nestled against the bottom of my ear.

"Thank you for the Pygmy Puff, Harry. It _was_ you, wasn't it? And the gloves?" As I reached up to my shoulder to pet my puff, I looked over the puff to see Harry blushing.

"Yeah," he replied, suddenly fascinated at the scene before us. I turned to see that we had come to the gate to Hogwarts.

"Ah! About time! I've been looking all over for you two. All right, names?" Professor Flitwick readied his quill.

"Professor Flitwick, you've known me for five years," Harry said.

"No exceptions, Potter," he stuttered, scribbling on his parchment. _After all that, he just marks us down himself._ I shook my head, my attention being drawn to a pile of objects accompanied by Professor Snape, Malfoy, and a couple of other people I didn't recognize.

"Who are those people?" I asked, ignorant to their purpose.

"Aurors- for security," he explained.

"…be considered an offensive weapon?" Mr. Filch concluded as Flitwick's words ended.

"It's all right, Mr. Filch, I can vouch for Mr. Malfoy," Snape intervened in his slow calculating voice. It was odd, to say the least, that Malfoy was bringing so many things into Hogwarts. _Well, he _is_ pretty rich, and he seems like the materialistic type. He probably brings this much every year. It's not like I take inventory for him and observe for differences. _Still, I couldn't shake the feeling something was up.

"Nice face, Potter," Malfoy sneered when he noticed our presence. Of course, he did it in a way only a Malfoy could.

"Would you like me to fix it for you?" I turned towards him, pulling out my wand.

"Have you ever fixed a nose before?"

"No, but I know a healing spell. I've read quite a bit about them." He didn't seem surprised.

"Alright, give it a go"

"_Episkey_!" I swirled my wand once, resulting in a cracking noise from Harry's nose. When he straightened up again, after the pain subsided, I observed my work.

"Well? How do I look?"

I smirked, "I must say, Harry, I think I am able to take credit for your good looks, now"

Something in my response made him smile, which brought about a tingling feeling in my chest that spread rapidly. Was this what people referred to as butterflies?

/

I made a music video for Jenny and Harry! I used the song Far Away, since it received the most votes. If the entire link doesn't show up, it's on Youtube under my username, lollypopgirl14

/watch?v=7GzARhzIrWQ

It's my most recent- all you have to do is click play comment!


	8. Check Mate

"Where have you been?" Hermione reprimanded us when we arrived at the Great Hall. It seemed we missed quite a bit, since the first years were sorted and comfortable in their new houses.

"What happened to your face?" she gasped, noticing his obviously injured nose. The bone was back in place, but it was still bleeding a bit. Maybe Harry should have thrown out the blood-soaked handkerchief before we entered the great hall.

"Nothing," he replied, discarding the handkerchief. I reached for a napkin, cleaning the last bit of blood off of his face.

"Thanks," he smiled, turning to the head of the Great Hall where Dumbledore approached his pedestal to speak.

"First off, let me introduce the newest member of our staff: Horace Slughorn," he gestured to the fuddy-duddy old man. "Professor Slughorn, I'm happy to say, has agreed to assume his old post as potions master. Meanwhile, the post of the Defence Against the Dark Arts will be taken by Professor Snape-"

Wild whispers danced around the room at the ghastly and shocking news rang throughout the hall. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I all exchanged a glance.

"As you know, each and everyone of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight and you have the right to know why. Once, there was a young man who, like you, sat in this very hall, walked this castle's corridors, and slept under its roof. He seemed to the entire world a student like any other. His name: Tom Riddle," whispers filled the hall and I wondered just how many people knew about Tom Riddle. "Today of course he's known all over the world by another name. Which is why, as I stand looking out upon you tonight, I'm reminded of a sobering fact: every day, every hour, this very minute perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle's walls, but in the end their greatest weapon is you."

For some reason, this reminded me of earlier at the castle gate with Malfoy.

"Now! Off to bed- pip pip!" he clapped his hands together in a surprisingly cheerful manner and shooed us from the hall.

"Well, the job is jinxed, no one's ever lasted more than a year as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Maybe we'll get lucky," Ron said as we walked towards our dorms.

"Ron, that's an awful thing to say!" I rebuked him for his blatant statement.

"What? Don't act like you wouldn't mind if he weren't around next year"

"That's not the point. He's our teacher and he doesn't deserve to die no matter how miserable he makes us," _it's not like he's evil. He saved Dumbledore's life just the other day! If only I could tell them._ I looked to Harry, wondering if Dumbledore told him. _I can't ask, though, because then he'd know. _Curse Dumbledore and his little ulterior motives. _What would his motive be for this? _"Hey you guys, I've got to go run to the library to, er, check out a book on… something," _Wow, that was terrible. _

"Want me to come with you?" Hermione offered kindly.

"Oh, no, it's alright," I smiled and began walking backwards down the hall, hoping to shake her off.

"You know, I really should study for my classes. I wouldn't want to be unprepared for them under new teachers!" she insisted following me.

"See you in the common room!" Ron waved briefly before turning to Harry, who seemed eager to speak to him.

"Where are you going, Jenny? The library is this way," she stopped in her tracks when I began to take a turn from her path.

"Oh, I've forgotten something. I'll meet you later," I waved, continuing down the hall towards Dumbledore's office. I might be completely wrong. My suspicion may be completely off, however, I had to tell him. If I was right, my information could save the school and its students. "Professor Dumbledore?" I knocked, the door sliding open at the slightest pressure.

"Ah, Jenny, come in," he smiled, welcoming me into his office. I wandered in, approaching his desk as I walked. "How can I help you?"

"Something's bothering me, sir. In your announcement, you said Voldemort is trying to infiltrate the school and his greatest weapon is us," I paused, waiting for his reaction.

"Is there something you wish to tell me?"

"I think Draco Malfoy may have snuck something into the school. Professor Snape helped him slip a few items past security and I couldn't help but be suspicious-"

"I assure you that I trust Professor Snape one hundred percent and you have nothing to worry about"

"I know, sir, but I have this _feeling_"

I wanted to believe him, and I wanted to believe Snape was good, but my intuition told me different.

"Jenny, I must once again ask too much of you," I listened intently, hoping he wasn't going to make me go after another cursed item. I couldn't help but notice his cursed hand was black and shriveled. I subconsciously twirled the ring around my finger. "No, we are not travelling anywhere. I must ask you to, how to put it, shadow Mr. Malfoy"

"Shadow, sir?" _Why?_

"I want you to watch him, befriend him if you must"

"Do you think he's-"

"I'm not sure of anything, which is why I need your help. I trust that any information will be passed along to me"

"Of course, sir," I agreed blindly, starting for the door.

"Jenny, I trust you will keep this from Harry"

I paused in mid-step, taking in my new responsibilities, "of course, sir"

/

"Jenny," Harry called from the wizards' chessboard in the common room.

"Hi, Harry" I slid into the chair opposite him.

"I need to talk to you about Malfoy," he said, moving his pawn across the board.

"Malfoy?" my heart sped up ever so slightly at the subject.

"In the train, I heard him talking to his girlfriend and he said he might not even bother coming back next year and had moved on to bigger things"

"And you heard this while hidden under your cloak?"

"Yeah. He was talking about how things would be different when Voldemort took over"

"I imagine things _would_ be different," I said as casually and calmly as I could, moving my bishop across the board, destroying his queen. In return, he made his final move.

"Check mate"


	9. Partners

This morning was our first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Snape. I was a little anxious with all of the recent events; however, it was still hard for me to think of Snape as evil when he quite possibly saved Dumbledore's life just this summer.

"This term we will be practicing nonverbal spells with a partner. I would expect it to go without saying that dark spells are forbidden, but I will inform you that I will not let anyone off with a warning if they should so choose," he eyed the class with a dangerous glare. He then told us who are partners would be. I discreetly moved from Harry's side and closer to Malfoy's. When Snape passed Harry, I noticed he was surprised that I wasn't his partner and turned to look where I once stood. Ashamed, I slipped into Malfoy's shadow further, in hope of shelter from his gaze.

Although I was only doing as Dumbledore asked, I couldn't help but think back to the last time I was close, if you could call it that, to Draco Malfoy. Harry immediately steamed up and I hurt him by being with Malfoy. I had bruised his ego, as Hermione put it, and he resented me for some time. Would there be such a consequence for what I was doing? _Too late._

"Bennett, Malfoy," Snape said as he passed us. I could tell Malfoy was surprised, as he turned to look for me. The class dispersed until everyone had space to duel. I ended up face to face with Malfoy.

"Well, I guess we're partners," I tried to make my smile as genuine as possible. Instead of replying, he flicked his wand and sent me flying. Utterly shocked, I sat there, staring up at him. He didn't have the sort of smug look I expected, but a solemn expression. Across the room, Harry adapted a threatening stance towards Malfoy. I gave him a look, warning him not to do anything stupid. He unhappily obliged, glaring at Malfoy as Ron turned to see what his partner was so obsessed with. I scrambled to my feet and brushed myself off so they wouldn't get involved. _Stay out of this._

By the end of class I had progressed very well with my nonverbal spells, however, I hadn't gotten anywhere with Malfoy. The inevitable consequence grew nearer as the end of the hour arrived.

"What was that about? Why are you _his_ partner?" Harry and Ron flanked me and I said the only safe thing.

"Snape paired us," I replied, "it's not like I wanted to be his partner"

"But you have to be his partner _all term_," Ron stressed, "he could hex you"

"You heard Snape, he won't let anyone off with warnings. I'll be fine, he won't hurt me"

I could already see Harry's jaw clenching, "he's _Malfoy_, Snape would probably find some way to blame you and deduct points from Gryffindor"

"You guys don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself," I said, catching up to Hermione to avoid further conversation.

"Hey, Jenny, going to Potions early?" she smiled, holding her books against her chest.

"Please," I groaned, wanting badly to have space from the boys. To my dismay, Malfoy was in Potions with us. I stood on the opposite side of Hermione from him, my eyes examining the different size cauldrons on display before us.

"Ah! Harry, m'boy! I was beginning to worry. We've got someone with us, I see"

_Great._

"Ron Weasley, sir. I'm dead awful at potions, so I'll probably just go-"

"Nonsense! Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine! Grab your books from that cupboard there. Now, as I was saying, I prepared some concoctions this morning. Any ideas what this might be?"

My hand shot in the air as he opened the first lid. "Yes, Miss Bennett"

"That one there is Veritaserum, a truth telling serum. It's clear, colorless, and odorless, which makes it very hard to differentiate from water," I replied bitterly, remembering how Umbridge used it on me the year previous. "However, it does have a distinct taste," I added, remembering the funky tea. After drinking some, I could tell something was in it, but by then it was too late.

"Very good, anyone care to tell the class what this one is?" he asked, lifting the second lid. Hermione's hand was up first, "Yes, Miss…"

"Granger, sir," she said, lowering her arm. "This is Amortentia, the most powerful love potion in the world," she said, approaching it. "It's rumored to smell differently to each person according to what attracts them. For example," she took in a long breath before continuing. "I smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and," her voice had become dreamy and for a moment I thought she was lost in her own memories "-spearmint toothpaste."

She seemed to have realized her lack of consciousness and backed away from the seductive potion. However, many of the girls were drawn to it and began taking small unconscious steps towards the cauldron. A waft of pure delight swept into my senses and filled me up. It was as if it filled the entire room with an intoxicating familiarity.

"Now, Amortentia doesn't create actual love, that would be impossible, but it does cause powerful infatuation-" he placed the lid back on, which abruptly ended the scent and my delusion "-or obsession"

"Sir? You haven't told us what's in that one," I pointed towards a tiny vial of golden liquid.

"Ah, yes! What you see before you is a curious little potion known as Felix Felicis, also known as-"

"-liquid luck," Hermione finished.

"Yes, Miss Granger, liquid luck," he seemed pleased at her prior knowledge. "It's desperately tricky to make, disastrous should you get it wrong. One sip and you'll find that all of your endeavors succeed"

_All of my endeavors…_


	10. Living Death

"At least until the effects wear off," he mused. "So, this is what I offer each of you today: one tiny vial of liquid luck to the student who, in the hour that remains, manages to brew an acceptable draft of Living Death. Recipes for which can be found on page 10 of your books-" the room immediately filled with the sound of flipping pages, including my own. "You should not doubt, however: only once did a student manage to brew a potion of sufficient quality to claim this price. Nevertheless, good luck to you all. Let the brewing commence!"

Hermione and I raced for the table at which Harry stood. He was flipping casually through his pages, a bit startled at the stampede of students. I set down my book and began brewing my cauldron of Living Death.

I was having quite a frustrating time trying to prepare ingredients for the potion. The little bugger wouldn't stay still for me to cut it! It was as if it was slicked with oil or something.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, exasperated. I looked up to see Harry squeezing the juice into his cauldron. _How did he manage that?_ Harry was no potions master, and somehow he'd outwitted us all.

"Crush it, don't cut it," he smiled triumphantly. I pouted, seeing how disheveled Hermione was. If that's what she looked like, I could only imagine what _I_ looked like. And there's Harry, brewing with ease, looking ten times better than me. There was something unfair about this.

"No, the instructions say _specifically_ say to _cut_," Hermione tried to hide it, but she wasn't doing too well with hers. It was plain to see she was frustrated by Harry's effortless success.

"Oh, really," Slughorn made his way over to our table. Hermione leaned towards Harry's cauldron to try to see the affects of the potion on the leaf.

"Merlin's Beard! It's perfect!" Slughorn beamed as the leaf shriveled into the black. I pulled my ladle from my cauldron to see it had melted and deformed while sitting in my potion. I gave it a sad smile and dropped it back in. My potion was a lost cause, so why bother?

The class stood in a cluster, envying Harry as Slughorn handed him the Felix Felicis. We applauded, of course, but I had a feeling it was half-hearted. _Actually, this is perfect. Harry can use it for when he faces Voldemort._ A wave of relief washed over me. Muscles I didn't even know were tense suddenly relaxed and my applause drowned out the class. Hermione casted a glance my way, but it didn't matter to me. The Felix Felicis was like life insurance for Harry, which, for me, was like winning the lottery.

"Jenny," Harry approached me after class, hurrying to catch up to me in the hall.

"Oh, Harry, congratulations on the potion, that was spectacular" _and unexpected_, I smiled warmly as we walked down the hall. I noticed he was holding his potions book in an almost possessive way. _I wonder why he's suddenly so passionate about potions. Is this all for Slughorn? _

"Thanks," he smiled; losing his train of thought with every moment he gazed into my eyes. I saw his hand reach towards mine. By instinct, I would have reached for his in return, however, a thought crossed my mind- a morbid one.

_I pointed my wand at the lock, startled that just brushing the tip against it made the lid pop open. Inside was a plush velvet cushion, holding a large ring with an even bigger black jewel in the middle. My eyes widened at the ring's magnificence. It had an odd design in the middle, but before I could fully process the shape, Professor Dumbledore picked up the ring and placed it on his finger. Immediately, he howled in pain. _

_I dropped the chest, "Professor!" I wasn't entirely sure if I was calling for Snape or for Dumbledore. All I knew was that the ring was hurting Dumbledore, possibly killing him. His fingertips were blackening, consuming his hand. It seemed it was poisoning him or perhaps it had been cursed. _

I shied my hand back, sliding it behind my back and out of reach. To prevent him from thinking too far into it, I leaned forward and kissed him. _That_ was sure to stop all thoughts. As far as I could tell, it worked. _Too_ well, I might even say. I outstretched my other hand and our fingers interlaced, sending warmth through me and clearing me of all thoughts.


	11. One and the Same

By Friday, I was exhausted by all of the excitement Hogwarts brought on. The others had headed off to dinner, but I insisted on staying behind and relaxing by the fire. Hermione would have offered to stay, had she suspected anything was wrong, but instead she offered to bring me back a roll. I would have told her I would just eat at Hagrid's, but he probably would only have meat. _He'll probably have tea, though…_

I pulled myself to my feet and stretched before heading down to Hagrid's. When I saw the kaleidoscope of colors painting the sky, I began to wonder whether or not I had fallen asleep on front of the fire.

"Hagrid," I knocked upon the thick wooden door. I could hear Fang's barks of warning from inside.

"Oi! Jenny! Come in, come in," he opened the door, standing to the side so I could come in, "I was just 'bout to go see Aragog. "Why din't yer go ter dinner?" he asked, shutting the door behind me.

I shrugged as I sat down, "I don't know, Hagrid. I guess I was just tired. It's the end of the first week and I haven't gotten to see you at all, really, so I came down here instead"

"Why aren't yer takin' my class?" he asked, his anger clear. I knew the others were avoiding him, not wanting to face him out of shame. The truth is: none of them _wanted_ to take his class.

"I'm sorry, Hagrid, I would but I'm so busy with my other classes. I want to be a hit wizard, I think"

"What about the others?" he said, clearly not taking my individual excuse for all of us.

"Just lost interest, I suppose, but none of us wanted to hurt you, Hagrid. I'll go visit Aragog with you, if you like"

"Oh," his expression changed completely, "that's nice o' yer, Jenny, but yer see, Aragog doesn't take well to strangers. The truth is, his family will eat yer alive"

"Oh," _that's pleasant._

"Besides, yer need to be getting to Professor Dumbledore's office"

"I do?"

"He was lookin' for yer at dinner"

"I better go then. Thanks, Hagrid"

It was getting close to after hours, now, and the halls were clearing of student life. I let my fingers slide over the scored stone feathers of the hippogriff as it ascended me to Dumbledore's office.

_I can't help wondering if… _

_Oh, no, no. I mean, she's brilliant, and we're friends, but no._

I knocked on Dumbledore's door, which magically swung open. I wondered, briefly, what they were talking about.

"Ah, Jenny, I was wondering when you'd receive my message. Now that you're here we can begin." Not knowing what he was going to do, but knowing he did this often, I dismissed it and joined them around the pensieve. "I'm going to teach you more about Voldemort this year, and I hope this information will ultimately help you survive"

_Is he talking to both of us?_

I watched as Dumbledore took a small vial of memory from his robe. "Tonight we will be looking at one of Bob Odgen's memories. He worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement…" Dumbledore's words faded into silence as I spiraled into the captive memory of a country lane.

I was unaware of what I was supposed to do until I spotted a plump man in glasses reading a wooden signpost. I figured the man was Odgen and followed him into a house. _Leave now_, a voice hissed in a snake-like manner. A man in rags, whom Dumbledore identified as Morfin Gaunt, approached the man and jinxed him. Another man, Morfin's father, rushed out of the house. Odgen told them that he was there to investigate Morfin's use of magic on a muggle. He went inside and we followed him close behind.

A sad looking girl named Merope sat in a chair. I noticed she didn't look too healthy either, and looked as if she was abused and depressed. Odgen presented a summons to the Ministry for a hearing, which got Gaunt angry. His anger escalated and he showed Odgen his hand, which sported a familiar black ring. My hand flew upwards as I confirmed my suspicion. Our rings matched, or rather, they are one and the same. He grabbed Merope's locket and dragged her by her necklace, showing Odgen the pendant, explaining that they are the last living descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Gaunt admitted that his son performed a jinx on a muggle and Morfin accused Merope of being in love with the muggle boy whom he jinxed.

The name of the boy caught my attention: Tom Riddle.

_If Tom Riddle is Voldemort, then why are they calling him a muggle? Could it be that this muggle is a descendent of Voldemort's? That would mean Voldemort is…_

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Gaunt erupted with rage, attempting to strangle his daughter. Odgen whipped out his wand in time to save her, but ran when Morfin drew a knife on him.

"…Odgen apparated back to the ministry and returned with reinforcements," Dumbledore's words crossed my mind as my world molded back into reality.

"Sir, was that muggle boy Voldemort's father?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.

He nodded solemnly, "Merope used a love potion on Tom and when Marvolo Gaunt returned from Azkaban, he shunned his muggle-loving daughter. Within a few months of marriage, her potion wore off and he returned to his muggle village"

"Merope was pregnant with Voldemort?"

He nodded, "that's enough for today"

As Harry and I left his office, my mind was swarming with questions. Why had I been here for this? Was he implying that I would be coming for another little lesson when he said "enough for _today_"? I had also acquired new information. Voldemort was of mixed blood. He was a muggle-loathing hypocrite on top of all else.

"Is that the ring?"

_No_

I retracted my hand, but it was too late. He'd already curled his fingers around my wrist. I could feel the sting of tears swelling inside of me. He was so close, if his touch had been any lower…

"_What about this ring?" I held it up, angry that no one would tell me what was going on. _

"_Keep it- only you can wear it," Dumbledore said gravely. _

"_Or else they'll be cursed?" _

"_Jenny, it's imperative that you do not speak of this to anyone. Not even Harry. Do you understand?" _

"Don't…" I covered my ringed hand with my other, shielding Harry from the ring's dangers. I could tell he was hurt, but I couldn't say anything. Instead of explaining or apologizing, I backed away, running away from my mistakes, like I always do.

However, I couldn't run from the fact that I had almost killed Harry.


	12. Failure

I saw Harry Potter 7 last night and it was ! Not sure if I spelled that right, but you know what I mean! I cried-3 Hedwig, Mad-eye, Dobby, and George's ear.

/

Harry and I stood in full uniform in the middle of the pitch. Before us was a mob of unruly students who were chipping their chances away from making the team. "Ahem… okay, so this morning I'm going to be putting you all through a few drills just to assess your strengths… quiet please"

"SHUT IT!" They were testing my patience, and I was not in a good mood.

"Thanks," Harry looked at me and it was plain to see he was surprised at my outburst. But when he smiled I knew I was forgiven for earlier, and I found my mood had lightened significantly. "Now then, remember, just because you made the team last year does not guarantee you a spot this year, is that clear?" Poor Ron was the only one standing in an orderly fashion, but he was also shaking. Cormac seemed to notice and went to comfort him… although it didn't seem to be working.

_Might as well get this over with before he faints. _

"Hey! Gryffindors! Get a hold of yourself and get moving!" Harry was being too timid. These people needed to get moving- _wait-_ _is he even a Gryffindor?_

"These are the _Gryffindor_ Team tryouts" I stressed, a bit annoyed that I had seen at least two faces I recognized as not being Gryffindors. I saw four or so people leave the pitch. Satisfied, I mounted my broom and lifted into the sky.

By the time tryouts were over, we had a new team picked out. They were better than last year, for sure. Cormac had tried out for Keeper, and he was bloody good, but Ron managed to block one more shot than him. Although it wasn't with grace, it justified Harry's biased decision. Not that I would complain. He's my brother and my friend, and I want him on the team- you know what? There's nothing wrong with it, so I'm going to stop ranting. It's not like there was any foul play, I mean, Ron _did_ block more than Cormac. He deserves the spot.

After tryouts, Hermione met me outside the locker room. Suddenly, it all came together.

"You!" I pushed her. It wasn't in a playful manner, but I didn't want to hurt her either.

"Me?" she raised a brow, stabilizing her footing.

"You used confundus on Cormac-" I whispered, watching for her reaction "-I knew it!"

"It's not like it was a game or anything, I was just helping. They're only tryouts!" she began to panic, obviously taking my expression as serious.

"Calm down, Mione," I grinned. She relaxed when she saw that I wasn't going to tell.

"Merlin, Jenny!" she tried to control her breathing. I stifled a laugh, seeing her control her reaction to cheating- something she didn't take lightly.

"Ah! There you are, Miss Bennett, Mr. Potter" Slughorn approached me- us. _Mr. Potter?_ I turned my head and found Harry walking not that far behind us. "I'm having a small party for my favorite students in my room, care to come?"

"Sorry, sir, I have to make up a detention with Snape"

_He's going to abandon me with Slughorn?_

"Miss Bennett?"

I looked over at Hermione, who seemed to understand. "I'll go if Hermione does"

"What do you say, Miss Granger?"

"I'd be delighted"

"Splendid, splendid" he said before walking away.

"Thanks Hermione," I said the moment he was out of earshot, "I don't think I could undergo his inquiries without you"

"No problem, Jenny, what are friends for?"

/

Ron sat on the couch, completely basking in his victory over Cormac. Did he think it was a competition for Hermione? "Hope Cormac's not taking it too hard. He's got a bit of a thing for you, Hermione, Cormac" _Guess so. _

"He's vile," Hermione answered, trying to focus on her studying.

"Have you ever heard of the spell Sectumsempra?" Harry cut in, holding his potions book out for Hermione to see.

"No, I haven't, and if you had a shred of self respect you'd hand that book in!"

"Not bloody likely, he's top of the class. He's even better than you, Hermione"

_Ouch. _

"Slughorn thinks he's a genius" he added.

_Now he's in for it._

I shot him a look.

"What? He reads it even more often than that journal of his" I blushed, recognizing the book's description as my journal from last year.

"I'd like to know whose that book was. Let's have a look, shall we?" she rose to her knees, reaching for it with her outstretched arm.

"No," Harry held it possessively, standing up to escape her reach.

"Why not?" she mirrored his movements, even more eager to see now that he resisted.

"The binding is fragile" He defended. It was at that moment that I rose to my feet and made my way around the couch.

"_The binding is fragile?_" She scoffed, her eyes glancing in my direction. As he retreated, his eyes on Hermione, I approached him slowly…

"Yeah" My fingers closed around the tattered potions book. _Got it! _

"Who's the Half-blood Prince?" I asked, reading the name scrawled inside the cover.

"Who?" Hermione inquired, racking her brain for a face to match the name.

"That's what it says, right here. _This book is property of the Half-blood Prince_" my eyes lifted to Harry. I tossed it back to him and he caught it, his eyes never leaving mine.

/

"Jenny… Jenny…" Hermione's voice swept through my consciousness as I opened my eyes.

"What is it, Mione?" I rolled into a sitting position, stretching my arms out as I yawned.

"I can't sleep, I have to know"

"Alright," I turned to the side of my bed and lifted myself from its warming comfort. I put a sweater and some jeans on before following her out. It was rather early, I concluded, when I figured breakfast hadn't started yet. Could it be we were out before hours?

I followed her to the library and watched her dive into the shelves of books in search of a Half-blood Prince. After a dozen books of failure, I realized no one else was in the library. Not that many people came to read up on their studies in the morning, aside from us. Seizing the moment, I began to move towards the restricted section. After unlocking the door and sliding in, I immediately noticed a change of temperature. I got the chills as I ran my finger down the binding of the books, searching for anything mentioning a Half-blood Prince. I swear one of the books writhed beneath my touch. I stopped, staring at the still dusty covers of the old books, trying to point out anything out of the ordinary. One book seemed to stand out from the rest.

"Jenny!" Hermione appeared in the doorway, nearly scaring me out of my pants.

"Merlin, Hermione! Ever heard of knocking?"

"Get out of there, someone's in here with us" she grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the secret room and shutting the door behind us. We hurried as quietly as we could and left the Library.

"So, find anything?" I asked as we began to take a more casual pace to our steps.

"No, not a thing, you?" she asked hopefully.

"No"

There was a moment of silence while we accepted our failure. I heard footsteps travelling down the hall and stopped when I recognized the flash of platinum blond hair.

"Jenny?" Hermione asked, stopping beside me, concerned at my sudden pause. My own footsteps surprised me, but I was following Malfoy without hesitation. "Jenny!" Hermione whispered urgently, realizing the quieter tone demanded in such a situation. What she didn't understand was why we were following him, but I couldn't tell her while we were so close.

It was in vain, however, for we lost him at the turn of a corridor. I could no longer hear his footsteps and gave up on figuring which way to go.

"What was that about?" Her eyes were wide, her hair disheveled, as she tried to make sense of it all while trying to breathe.

"Nothing, Mione, nothing," I furrowed a brow, thoroughly defeated, and began to walk towards the Great Hall for breakfast. If we hurried, we'd get there in time to eat something before it ended.


	13. Unexpected Finds

"It's got to be freezing out, wear a heavier jacket" Hermione nagged, criticizing my choice of clothing.

"I'm wearing a jacket and a scarf. I'll be fine" I rolled my eyes, but I wasn't annoyed with her. I liked that she took care of me like that, but I'm mostly grateful because it kept Harry and Ron alive their first three years here.

"At least take some gloves" she threw a pair at me before heading for the door. We met the boys down in the commonroom and I spotted a familiar book in Harry's hands.

"You can't possibly be bringing that with you," I led his eyes to his possession.

"I'm not, I was just catching up on some potions homework," he defended, going up to his dorm and putting the book away. We all exchanged glances while he was gone. I was the first to speak.

"You two can go on ahead, we'll meet you at The Three Broomsticks in an hour"

"Okay, we'll see you then," Hermione's gaze lingered on me and I gave her an encouraging smile.

"Go," I mouthed, reminding her that this was a chance to be alone with Ron. I watched them walk out, hoping it would turn out well and they wouldn't end up in a fight like they often do.

"Where'd they go?" Harry asked when he returned, no book in possession.

"They went ahead. I told them we'd meet up with them at The Three Broomsticks later"

I bundled my scarf over my face, for the bitter autumn wind wasn't kind to wanderers. Apparently it was a common known fact, since the alley was absent of any life other than an occasional bundled up person rushing towards a warm shop.

"Your hands, are they cold?"

I pulled back immediately, a reflex I'd acquired from keeping the ring as far from Harry as possible these past few weeks.

"_Don't…" I covered my ringed hand with my other, shielding Harry from the ring's dangers. I could tell he was hurt, but I couldn't say anything. Instead of explaining or apologizing, I backed away, running away from my mistakes, like I always do. _

_However, I couldn't run from the fact that I had almost killed Harry. _

"Why do you keep doing this, Harry?" _He knows I don't want him to touch the ring, so why does he keep trying?_

"I'm going to hold your hand, Jenny. I'm always going to hold your hand, because I want to be there for you, I want to be with you, and I want you to be with me, but that can't happen if you don't…"

I could feel my eyes watering- why did he keep doing this?

"Please," he begged, holding me captive in his green eyes. My mouth opened with sudden realization- maybe I _could_ hold his hand.

"Jenny?"

I looked up, only to see his face now creased with rage. A squat man was walking while struggling with a pile of items in his arms. I noticed some of the items were from Sirius' room. Harry was outraged and poised to attack, but I stopped him when I walked in-between them and took a small chest out from his pile of items. He objected, but he quickly silenced himself with one glance at Harry. I ran a finger over the embellishments and engravings, finding them familiar. I slid the chest into my pouch and turned to Harry, grabbed his hand, and made for the Three Broomsticks.

"Jenny! Stop! Mundungus! He-" he shouted as he unwillingly trudged behind me.

"He's probably off in London by now. If I hadn't done something, you would have broken the law, Harry"

"No! The chest- why did you take it?"

"I was curious, that's all"

"Curious?" He frowned, obviously infuriated by my response.

"You're bloody lucky you didn't get arrested! You were so close to cursing him, Harry"

"So what? He deserved it! He nicked Sirius' stuff. Nicked it!"

"Jenny!" Adrienne approached me at top speed, engulfing me in a hug. "How are you? I haven't seen you in forever!" she beamed, glancing at Harry. She seemed to be slowly realizing that we weren't exactly skipping down the alley at the moment. "Hello, Harry. Do you two fancy some butterbeers? Look like you could use it"

"We were actually just heading there," I stated, my muscles resisting against my forced smile. We walked awkwardly towards the Three Broomsticks, no one speaking except Adrienne with her stories. She was full of them, but her favorites, I could tell, involved the twins.

"You two go on, I've got to go to the bathroom," Adrienne scuttled off as soon as we entered the pub. It wasn't long at all before we spotted Ron and Hermione at a table.

"Hey," I sat down, noticing Hermione had gotten quite a few drinks. It looked as if she'd drunk the two meant for Harry and I. _Ron must have gotten to her again._ I smiled reassuringly at her, promising to talk later.

Hermione roller her fingers over the wooden surface of the table, looking back and forth between Ron and Madame Rosmerta, whom he seemed to fancy. I didn't understand why Hermione was so worked up when it was obvious that he just had a crush on the woman because she was curvy. Madame Rosmerta was way too old for him, and had no chance up against Hermione.

"How long has it been?" I asked.

"Since what?" Harry asked, much calmer than before we arrived.

"Since Adrienne went to the bathroom"


	14. Omen of Death

**Hey guys! Hope you're enjoying my story. I'll be at a conference December 8th-12th, and I have three concerts and rehearsals the following week, so I probably won't be able to post during those times- but I will whenever I can :) Enjoy!**

-/-/-/-/-/-

Harry's lack of response seemed to justify my instinct's urge to check on Adrienne.

"I'll be right back," I smiled, although we were nothing close to a happy bunch at the moment.

I rounded the corner, stopping almost immediately when I spotted a familiar face at the end of the hall, dressed in black from head to toe. _Why is _he_ here? _I expected him to say something, to sneer some crude comment, but he didn't. I turned sideways, watching him pass, never breaking eye contact. I continued down the hall, still fixed on my encounter as I entered the bathroom.

I was suddenly face-to-face with the exact person I was looking for, however, she didn't seem quite right. She was standing dead still, staring forward as if frozen in time.

"Adrienne?"

"Excuse me," she said blankly, sidestepping me with a package under her arm. _Funny, I don't remember her having that before. _

"Adrienne, wait-" I followed her down the hall, finding it hard to keep up with her. She marched out the door, holding the package possessively as she trudged through the snow.

"Adrienne, what's with the package?"

"It's a surprise for Professor Dumbledore, I have to deliver it immediately"

"What is it? Adrienne!" I chased her out into the cold, worried that she was under some curse. She was acting awfully strange, and this package was extremely suspicious and possibly dangerous.

"It has nothing to do with you, Jenny!" she exclaimed in a shrill voice, trying desperately to shake me off, but I didn't give up.

"It has everything to do with me! I've dealt with curses before- I can help you"

It was no use, for she was under a spell too powerful to be penetrated by words. The only way to save her was to remove the package. Perhaps the curse came with contact. I made a move for the package, successfully taking it from her hands. However, the spell was unbroken and she moved to take it back. Her hand brushed against the contents of the package. Adrienne suddenly rose into the air, her arms outstretched as if to fly. Her hair whipped around her by the fierce, yet absent, wind. She let out a terrible scream as she floated six feet from the ground, her face expressionless. Her eyes shot open, showing her extreme feelings of anguish, which contrasted from her eerie appearance. I dropped the package, which opened fully as it made contact with the ground. A silver opal necklace slid out, sparkling against the snow.

I screamed for help, jumping in attempt to grab a hold of Adrienne's ankles. Almost instantly, Harry and Ron appeared at my side and pulled her down. They managed to catch her so she didn't snap her neck, but she was writhing around so much that we couldn't hold her still. It was almost as if she couldn't recognize us.

"She's been cursed! Harry, get help!" I shouted once she was safely on the ground. I saw Hermione reaching towards the necklace, but I kicked it out from under her before she could get near enough to touch it accidentally. "I've dealt with cursed items before- you can't chance touching it," I said, pulling out the gloves Hermione had given me and slipping them on tightly over my hands.

"Get back!" Hagrid ran towards us, scooping Adrienne up into his massive arms.

I picked up the necklace carefully, examining its greenish sparkle. It was definitely the same one as Harry and I had seen in Borgin and Burke's. I wasn't the only one who noticed. I looked up, making eye contact with Harry.

"McGonagall!" said Ron warningly. I turned my head and saw Professor McGonagall hurrying through the swirling sleet to meet us.

"My office- now" she said, taking in who and what was here. "Good lord- take that to Professor Snape at once!" She ordered, looking at the necklace as if it were an omen of death.

I started running, beating against the bitter wind and thick snow. It was like running down the beach barefoot while a tsunami was approaching. I burst into Snape's office, holding the necklace between my gloved hands as if it were a tightly sealed shell.

"Miss Bennett-"

"It's Adrienne- she got- cursed- by this" I panted, letting the necklace roll out from my hand, remaining looped over my finger so he could take in its length. He swept forward, ordering me to set it down on a desk. He pulled out his wand and levitated it to further examine the necklace. I could tell by his expression that Adrienne was lucky to be alive.

I left for McGonogall's office, not stopping or slowing until I got there. Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood before McGonogall. Hermione and Ron shuffled their feet uncomfortably at what had been said before I entered.

"Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today," McGonagall said with an awful air of finality.

"How do you know, Professor?" Harry replied, deflated.

"Because he was doing detention with me. He has now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter, but Miss Bennett is here and I have questions for her, now" she said, practically expelling them from the room with her eyes. I stepped out of the doorway, watching as my friends filed out. Harry looked frustrated, to say the least, and gave me a look saying he'd talk to me soon. Hermione and Ron looked embarrassed as they passed, and failed to look at me at all.

"Miss Bennett," McGonogall calmed herself, "Was the necklace in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?"

"No, she was with Harry and I before and went to the bathroom. She was gone a while, so I went to check on her and-"

_I rounded the corner, stopping almost immediately when I spotted a familiar face at the end of the hall, dressed in black from head to toe. _Why is_ he _here?_ I expected him to say something, to sneer some crude comment, but he didn't. I turned sideways, watching him pass, never breaking eye contact. I continued down the hall, still fixed on my encounter as I entered the bathroom. _

"Yes?" she asked, curious at my pause.

_It's a surprise for Professor Dumbledore, I have to deliver it immediately._

"I'm sorry Professor, is Dumbledore here?"

"I'm sorry, but Professor Dumbledore is away for the moment. Is there something you wish to tell him?"

"Yes- he may be in great danger"


	15. 1:58

On the way back to the commonroom, I stopped at the Hospital Wing. Okay, so it wasn't on the way, but I went anyway. To my surprise, Fred and George were already there.

"Hey," I ran over, hugging them each.

"How did it happen?" Fred asked, gently caressing Adry's limp hand.

"From what I gather, she'd be dead if she hadn't only just brushed it"

I sat on the edge of her bed, my hand over hers as I tried to sort out my thoughts. George sat next to me and I leaned into him, filled with thoughts of Adry's hopefully temporary state.

"C'mon Jenny, she's kicking us out"

"Huh?" I lifted my head, coming to a realization that I had been asleep.

"Pomfrey said it's time for us to go"

"Oh, okay"

"Want us to walk you back to the commonroom?"

"No, that's alright, I'm fine-" I was cut off with a yawn, bringing small tears to blur my vision. "Get back to your shop"

"It's been closed for hours, Jenny"

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to go to bed before Filch catches up to you"

"Right," I waved and turned towards the cold empty hall. My feet led me towards the commonroom, at least that's where I hoped they were going. My mind wasn't exactly focused at the moment. The only thing I could seem to think about was how I planned to come back to visit Adry tommorrow to make up for the time I spent sleeping during my visit.

When I got back, without being caught by Filch, Harry was waiting by the fire.

"Harry?" his lack of response made me suspect he was asleep, so I tiptoed towards him. Crouching on front of him, I found him peacefully asleep on the couch, the warm light of the fire flickering across his face. "Harry"

He twitched his nose a little, but otherwise stayed still. _I could have fun with this. _I gave him a peck on the nose, which was perfect, thanks to my magnificent charm work earlier that year. His eyes fluttered open with a whisper. He didn't seem fully conscious, yet, for his reaction to my presence was, well…

"Jenny!" he seemed suddenly embarrassed as he scrambled to sit up. I followed suit with an amused grin. "What took so long? It's nearly… blimey!"

"I fell asleep in the Hospital Wing, just got here. It's a bloody miracle I didn't get caught"

"Who says you didn't?" he retorted. I raised a brow, only to be ferociously attacked by the very same person who had just declared their love. I squealed as he gripped my waist, pulling me down onto the couch, and tickle-ambushed me. Apparently, we were too loud, for Ginny came down the stairs.

"Sorry to interrupt the love fest, but it's after hours and I don't think you would want to be caught canoodling in the common room"

My face flushed and I scrambled to my feet, "good night, Harry"

"G'night," he blurted, equally eager to get back to bed.

"Thanks, Ginny," I spoke softly, for fear of waking anyone else up. I thought my face might explode as I considered the possibility of a first year coming down for a drink of water and stumbling upon Harry and I. It's not like we were doing anything bad, but if it was this embarrassing on front of Ginny, I wouldn't want to risk it on front of anyone else.

"What are sisters for?"

I pulled the covers up to my neck until they tickled my jaw line, my eyes naturally falling upon the glowing clock on my bedside table. I lay awake for a while after that, his half-conscious confession still clear in my mind. _Does he know I heard it? Did he mean it? Does he know he said it at all? _My eyes remained locked the green light of the alarm clock until the questions seemed to disappear as I reminded myself what he said at 1:58

_I love you._

_-/-/-/-/-/-_

**__****You guys wanted it- well i gave it to you! :) In return for writing this special chapter, please review! **


	16. Heal

I had Herbology first thing in the morning, but not before breakfast. _Wait- Adrienne. _

"You guys go on without me, I need to the Hospital Wing"

"You feeling alright?" Hermione asked in a motherly tone.

"Yeah, I just wanted to check on Adrienne. I didn't get to see her much, yesterday," I said, trying to ignore Ginny's knowing looks. I waved and started walking before any of them braved missing breakfast to accompany me.

"Hey- wait!" Harry ran to catch up to me.

"Harry, I don't want you to miss breakfast"

"I need to talk to you"

"Um, okay"

"At my last lesson with Dumbledore, he showed me two memories. The first was a memory of Caractacus Burke," _from Borgin and Burke's_, "he bought Merope's gold locket for next to nothing, because Merope was desperate- she couldn't use magic anymore"

"Why?"

"She either chose to over her loss of Tom, or she found herself unable because she was too distraught"

"So she suffered poverty?"

"Yes"

"And Voldemort?"

"Him too, but he wasn't born yet"

"Which leads to the second memory," I continued walking, my mind reeling as I looked over at him.

He nodded and continued, "One of Dumbledore's, actually. He was visiting an orphanage- the one Voldemort was at. The house matron, Mrs. Cole, told him that Merope came to give birth to Voldemort, but died within the hour. He had grown up there, but had always been-"

"Strange?" he nodded, explaining further.

"He bullied kids, stole things, killed one of their pets, and did something to two kids, cursed them, no doubt. Dumbledore offered him a place at Hogwarts. He was excited, but he was ruder than I expected, even from Voldemort. Dumbledore didn't even react to his behavior, though he did seem to be put off when Voldemort tried to impress him by stating he was a Parselmouth. Dumbledore wanted me to remember something, an important point about the memory that's supposed to help me survive-"

You can imagine how my ears perked at that.

"-Voldemort never had a friend, nor did he seem to ever want one. He said something about how he collected items, but I don't quite remember it all."

"That's alright, Harry. I think it's great that we have the opportunity to learn as much as possible about Voldemort, it could come in handy some day" _some day soon, even. _I pushed open the large doors only to see Adrienne's bed empty.

"Madame Pomfrey? What happened to Adrienne?" I asked, my heart racing at the possibility that something terrible happened. _Could she be-_

"She's been moved to St. Mungo's for further treatment. I'm afraid I've done all I can here"

I turned around and hugged Harry, trying to prevent him from seeing any tears that may come. If only I hadn't grabbed the package, then maybe she wouldn't have touched it. Dumbledore wasn't there that night, so I could have intercepted it and warned him so that no one got hurt. This could have been prevented, but now…

"Come on, Harry, we have Herbology," I took his hand, spinning him around and walking out of the Hospital wing and towards the greenhouse. It was a silent trek to class, until Harry felt the need to break the silence.

"Do you, er, want to talk about it?"

"Thank you, Harry, but all I need right now is for you to hold my hand," I smiled, knowing that he was doing just that. Of course, that's all it took to keep him from pursuing further. He was so predictable. _Boys in general, really,_ I thought as we caught up to Hermione and Ron. Ron looked a little pleased with himself, but both seemed a bit awkward, maybe even embarrassed.

We didn't get a chance to chat before class began; I suppose we had gotten there just in time. Professor sprout sent us straight to our Snargaluff stumps and we began putting on our protective gear. I had worn long sleeves and was putting on my gloves, planning on being the brave one who reached into it for the pod.

"Alright, guys, hold back the vines. Hermione, watch my back- I'm going in," I took a deep breath before plunging my arm into the stump. It sprang to life at once: long prickly vines whipping about in response. Hermione's hair, being a bushy magnet for trouble, got caught almost immediately. I wished I could have told her before that she should tie it back. Ron let go of the vine in his hands to beat back the vine attacking Hermione. Unfortunately, that newly freed vine saw me intruding and swept at my face. I closed my fingers around the pod and pulled out at once.

"Got it," I grinned, holding my prize in my fist.

"You know, I don't think I'll be growing any of these in my garden once I get my own place," Ron wiped sweat from his brow.

"You're going to have a garden? Wouldn't that be unjust to the poor plants?" Harry and Hermione chuckled at my joke as I squeezed the juice from the pod and into a bowl. It was a gross job, but I imagined Ron and Hermione too, well, squeamish to do it. They certainly didn't volunteer. As for Harry, he seemed to be a bit too preoccupied with being concerned for the scratch on my face.

"It's just a flesh wound- it will heal"


	17. The Feud

Practice wasn't going too well lately. I'd been putting off helping Ron with his quidditch skills, thanks to all of the Slug Club parties and extra homework teachers have been loading on in light of the approaching holidays. They tended to pack it in, and then let you off easy for holidays. It was great to relax during the break, but until then it was the polar opposite of relaxation. Not to mention, the quidditch team wasn't doing very well.

"It was an accident, I'm sorry! Really sorry!" Ron shouted after punching one of his own teammates. I watched as she zigzagged to the ground, _poor Katie_. "I just-"

"Panicked?" I landed next to Katie, examining the damage, "Ron, you prat!"

"Here, let me," Harry stepped forward with his wand, muttering _episkey_ so only Katie and I could hear it. I smirked internally, knowing I had taught him that spell. "And don't call him a prat"

"Well you seemed too busy to call him a prat and I thought someone should-" I stopped myself when I looked him in the eyes, seeing a twinkle of humor. At that moment, it was all I could do not to burst out laughing. I had let my frustration get the best of me, and here was Ron, so messed up he couldn't even hold together.

"In the air, everyone, let's go…"

The match was coming up quickly and today's practice had me very discouraged. It had been our worst all term.

"Good work, everyone. We're going to flatten Slytherin," Harry said, allowing the team to leave the pitch looking reasonably pleased with themselves.

"I played like a sack of dragon dung," Ron said, walking beside me with his shoulders slumped. _No, saying we'll beat Slytherin is_.

"You aren't a sack of dung, Ron, you just have problems with your nerves," I contributed, trying to up Ron's mood (which, I'll admit, couldn't get much lower).

"Honestly, you're the best Keeper I tried out," Harry smiled, keeping a line of encouragement flowing. I caught on and by the time we reached the castle, we had him smiling. When we cut through our shortcut to the Gryffindor Tower, however, we crossed Dean and Ginny making out against the corridor wall. Sensing trouble, I reached for Ron's arm to turn around- but it was too late.

"Oi!" he stormed towards them.

"What?" Ginny broke off, looking around with an annoyed expression.

"I don't want to find my own sister snogging people in public!" her face crinkled up as she readied to respond.

"This was a deserted corridor before you butted in!"

"Um, I think-" I started, attempting to get us all to part ways peacefully; however, I was ignored by both Ginny and Ron, who were in heated debate. I glanced at Harry, sensing a fight about to ensue. Poor Dean stood awkwardly behind Ginny, hoping to sink into the floor. I motioned for him to go and he graciously obliged, not looking back.

"It's none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron-"

"Yeah it is! Do you think I want people saying my sister's a-"

"A _what_?" Ginny drew her wand, "A what, exactly?"

"He doesn't mean anything by it," I hurried towards Ginny, who was one smart comment away from hexing her brother. Harry followed suit, ready to hold back or push Ron out of the line of fire, if necessary.

"Oh yes he does!" her voice escalated and I knew it was going to happen soon. Someone was going to explode. "Just because he's never snogged anyone in his life-"

"Shut your mouth!" Ron's face skipped red and went straight to heat-radiating maroon.

"No I will not!" she spat each word individually, as though a child throwing a tantrum, "If you went out and got a bit of snogging done yourself, you wouldn't mind so much that everyone else does it!"

By now they both had their wands out. Harry was standing between them, braving the line of fire and part the feuding siblings. No matter what we did or said, it was like we were invisible to them, except for they had to reach around us to curse each other.

"Just because I don't do it in public-" Ron defended, but was cut off.

"Don't make me laugh! A girl you're _not_ related to-" At this point, I had my arms locked around Ginny, heavily considering dragging her to the ground in effort to keep her from reaching Ron. I did, however, pull her to the side when a flash of orange sped past her ear.

"Don't be stupid-" he began. Harry had Ron up against a wall, keeping him from casting any more spells.

"Jenny and Harry snog all the time!" Ginny shouted, turning up the heat and making my face turn beat red. How could she have said that? To Ron, no less! "It's you who acts like it's something disgusting, Ron, and that's because you have as much experience kissing as you did when you first got here!" and with that, she stormed away. I turned back to Ron, whose face had clear sign of intent to murder as he stood there, breathing heavily.

"I'll just-" I stuttered and awkwardly ran after Ginny- and away from Ron. "What was _that_ about?" I whispered harshly once I had gotten caught up with her.

"The git needed to be told off. He'd no right interrupting-"

"No, I understand that, but why'd you go and tell him about Harry and I? I thought you were going to keep it a secret, I thought you said that's what sisters were for!"

"I kept you from getting caught, but that's different from not telling-" she replied heatedly, still upset from the fight. She managed to take a deep breath before continuing, "what I mean to say is, it slipped out. Besides, it's not like it's a secret"

"Wh-"

"Jenny, it's _obvious_ you and Harry like each other. You'd have to be a complete git not to notice-" Ginny stopped when she realized this might apply to Ron. We both burst out laughing before returning to a more neutral state. I spotted someone pass the hall adjacent to us; noticing the figure had strikingly blonde hair. _Malfoy. _

"I've got to go to the bathroom, I'll meet you back at the common room," I said, cutting off into another corridor leading to the one Malfoy was in. I followed him as quickly and quietly as possible. Although I hadn't meant to be following silently, I hadn't managed to speak. If he were up to anything, he would have run, anyway. Perhaps this was better.

It didn't matter much, however, for he must have known I was following him. We passed the same spot three times before I lost him. Cursing to myself, I turned and went back to the common room. It had been a month and I hadn't gotten anywhere with him. If I didn't do something, I could miss something crucial for Dumbledore.

I walked into the common room, plopping down in a chair by the fire. Lavender and some of her friends were sitting nearby, deep in gossip. They paused briefly, but decided that I was no threat to their secretive conversation and continued. I know you may think it's rude to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it when I heard…

"So you know Ron Weasley?"

"How could you not know Ron Weasley? He's Harry Potter's best friend. You heard they adopted Jennifer Bennett, didn't you? Last year"

"Of course! That's old news. Anyway, I have this massive crush on him, but that Granger girl _never_ leaves his side!"

"Here's what you do. After the game…" I stood up, sick of their petty conversations. I needed some silence to calm my mind. Where did I go? To my dorm to write, or course.


	18. Luck

This evening was one of Slughorn's parties. I quite hated these parties and I didn't particularly want to be sitting by two strangers, or worse, Cormac and Blaise. I shuddered at the thought of it, which is why I was so happy that Hermione was coming. Surely, if Slughorn insisted on sitting by Harry again, I would have her.

I was waiting for Hermione in the common room when it hit me. _Three times! The Room of Requirement!_ How could I have been so _stupid_? I had followed him three times before he disappeared. I should have seen it.

I ran down the hall, following a beeline for the Room of Requirement. I'd used the Room of Requirement last year for Dumbledore's Army, so why hadn't it clicked sooner? _One… two… three…_ I stood before the stone wall, watching with earnest as the intricate design of the doors appeared. A familiar light layer of dust showered down on me as the door solidified. I pressed firmly on the door, sliding in as quietly as the rusty bolts allowed.

_What would Malfoy want with the Room of Requirement? Could he be in here now, even?_ I looked around, finding myself in a room of lost and broken items. I meandered around, looking for any movement or anything that could be Malfoy's objective. There was a broken record player, which repeated every two seconds or so, making me feel like I was in a horror movie and the murderer was about to pop out from behind a pillar. I stopped in my tracks, searching for the exit so I could turn back. _Oh, great_.

I retraced my steps and eventually found my way back, however, I was definitely late for the party.

"Ah, Miss Bennett! Come in! Come in!" Slughorn welcomed me as I slid through the door. I was happy to see Harry and Hermione sitting across the table from Slughorn, only a seat away from an empty chair. I realized then, when I looked at Hermione, that I had a light layer of dust over me, and hoped it wasn't so noticeable that anyone else.

"Sorry sir, I'm not usually late-" I said, walking towards the empty seat near Harry. As soon as I touched the chair, he shot to his feet. I slowly sat down, a pleased smile gracing my face. He'd been too focused on being a gentleman that his napkin had fallen to the floor, not to mention everyone was staring at us.

"No matter, just in time for dessert. That is, if Belby's left you any," he said before chuckling quirkily. I glanced towards Belby, who had cleaned his bowl of ice cream. My gaze then moved to Cormac, who was attempting to seduce Hermione. I smothered my giggles with a long drink of sparkling juice.

/

Ron has been ignoring us, Hermione, Harry, and I, ever since our run-in with Ginny and Dean. Although I had been getting the cold shoulder, Hermione had it worse off, for he _did_ speak to her. He spoke quite rudely.

"Slughorn's having a Christmas party, you know. We're meant to bring someone," Hermione spoke boldly, dipping her toe into dangerous waters.

"I expect you'll be bringing McLaggen. He's in the _slug club_, isn't he?"

"Actually, I was going to ask you"

"Really?" his tone changed entirely. I was curious to what he'd do next, had Lavender Brown not come over.

"Good luck today, Ron. I know you'll be brilliant," she breathed. I glanced at Hermione, who was obviously feeling venomous toward Lavender. Ron smiled forcedly at her until she walked away.

"I'm resigning," he swallowed anxiously, "after today McLaggen can have my spot"

"Have it your way, then. Juice?" Harry offered, slapping a goblet in front of him, a small vial tucked under his palm.

"You look dreadful, Ron. Is that why you put something in his cup?" Luna asked, her head adorned with some sort of Lion headdress. "Is it a tonic?"

"Liquid luck?" I asked, looking questioningly toward Harry. He slipped the clear vial into his pocket, but not before I recognized it as the same vial as his Felix Felicis. "Don't drink it, Ron!"

He hesitated for a moment before gulping the entire drink down in one shot. My eyes widened in horror as he set down the empty glass.

"You could be expelled for that," Hermione scolded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said casually.

"Come on, Harry, we've got a game to win!" Ron grinned determinedly before racing off with Harry. I was so put out I didn't say a thing.

"I can't believe those two," Hermione grumbled, picking at her food.

"I'm not hungry," I pushed my plate away before heading to the quidditch pitch.

/

"The situation's ideal. Good weather, and the other team's out two players," Ginny smiled.

"Two?" I asked.

"Their chaser, Vaisley, took a bludger to the head yesterday and can't play. Guess what? Malfoy's gone off sick, too!"

"What?" said Harry, wheeling around to join our conversation. I just stared wide-eyed, trying to figure out what really happened. No way he would miss a game.

"Is he's ill? What's wrong with him?" I asked, wondering if I could find out more.

"No idea, but it's great for us! They're playing Harper instead. He's in my year and he's an idiot!" Once, Malfoy had an injury and made the entire game get rescheduled around him. No way he would let someone else sub for him unless he was dying.

The doors opened and we shot out onto the pitch like a herd of bulls let loose into a ring. Once the quaffle went up, so did my hopes. I had been dreading this game, for Ron had become increasingly dreary and unrefined at our practices; however, I had a good feeling about today.

Ron managed to block every shot thrown at him. He'd even gloated between each shot, rallying the crowd in a round of cheers.

"Weasley! Weasley!"

Ron's success boosted the spirits of our team, and we all played twice as good as usual, at least. The win was, to say the least, a piece of cake. After I had changed out of my gear, I found Harry and Ron. Most of the boys had gone to the common room to celebrate already, and they were the only ones left.

"They're waiting for you, Ron," I grinned, reminding him that the entire house was at his feet. His face lit up and he hurried out, leaving me alone with Harry.

"I can't believe you wasted your luck on this game, Harry," my expression changing instantly, as if I had pulled off a mask. He should have saved it for something where his life was on the line, like if he was captured or facing Voldemort.

"Jenny-"

"You could have used it for something _much_ more important, and you spent it on a quidditch game!"

"Jenny," Harry pulled the vile of Felix Felicis out, holding it in front of me so I could see that it was full- not a drop missing.

"You didn't put it in?" I breathed in relief, but I was also confused. "Ron only thought you did" he nodded with a smirk. _Clever._

It was easy to sneak into the boys' dorms during the celebration. Everyone was too busy looking at Ron to notice. I was surprised at how easy it was for me to get in, though. There were tons of spells cast to prevent boys from getting into the girls' dorms, but not the boys'. I suppose it made sense, in a way.

It was easy to find the Marauder's map as well. It was merely on Harry's bedside table. No one would think to look at a bare piece of parchment, would they?

"I solemnly swear- I'm up to no good," I mumbled, running my wand down the page. The map had a crowd of names in the Gryffindor common room; so many that I could hardly make out names. They were all circled around Ron and Lavender. I scanned the map, looking for Draco Malfoy. He wasn't in the dungeons, and he hadn't been on the main floor. The only other place I thought could be was the Astronomy Tower- and so he was.


	19. Realize

I set the map on the bedside table and fleeted down the staircase. No one saw me leave the dorms or slip out the portrait hole. _Why would he be in the Astronomy tower by himself? Especially if he were sick- it's snowing! _

I hesitated before pushing the large door open. A gust of cold wind made my hair swirl about my head. With closed eyes, I braved the wind and moved completely outside. Once I shut the door the winds seemed to die down, now that they weren't rushing to mix with the warm air of the school.

"You should come inside, Draco. It's cold"

"What are you doing here?" he said, straightening from his leaning position against the rail.

"You missed the game, so I thought you to be deathly ill. I'm glad to see I was wrong"

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to make sure you were alright-"

"Don't joke around, Bennett. What are you getting at?"

"Nothing, I was just con-"

"I don't want your concern. I'm fine on my own," he snapped, brushing past me and heading into the school, leaving the door open behind him. I sighed, looking up at the stars. _How can they be so clear when it's snowing?_ I turned to go back into the castle, Draco's figure rounding a corner as I shut the door.

With my head hanging from disappointment, I climbed down the stairs from the Astronomy tower. To my surprise, a giddy Lavender dragging Ron behind her passed me. Lavender didn't give me a second look, but Ron's gaze lingered warily as she pulled him up the stairs. Confused, questions swirled through my mind. It wasn't long until I heard sobbing. I stopped before I would be visible to them, but I couldn't help overhearing…

"It feels like this"

It was Harry's voice.

/

The next time I saw Ron; he was loud, cheerful, and constantly joking around. I much preferred this Ron to the moody spiteful Ron that I had been with the past week or two; however, this one came with a sidekick.

"Oh, Won-won!" Lavender snuggled against him, her voice an octave higher than usual. Things were awkward, to say the least, at meal times. I sat with Ron and Harry sat with Hermione. We exchanged looks often. Mine were usually showing sign of disgust, seeing as I was an outsider to Ron and Lavender's little lovefest. However, I had a feeling that I wasn't completely welcome with Hermione and Harry, either.

I suppose I deserved being shunned. After all, I had heard Lavender plotting against Hermione in the common room. I should have warned her, done something- anything. Instead, I hadn't even been there to comfort her- Harry had. Some best friend I turned out to be.

Although I hadn't been there for her before, I sure as heck was going to be now. I needed to talk with her and the library was my best bet.

"Hermione?" I asked, approaching her carefully.

"Jenny?" she said, startled. "I would have thought- never mind. Do you need something? A book?"

"No, nothing, I just came to talk. I'm sorry about Ron. I should have seen it coming, with the thing with Ginny and Dean and Victor-"

"What are you talking about? No matter. He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes. I really couldn't care less"

"Whom are you going with?"

"Cormac"

"_Cormac_?"

"It would annoy Ron the most. Whom are you going with?"

"Harry, of course- what is it?"

"Oh, it's just that, um…" she looked around before leading me to a more secluded part of the library. Not that it had many inhabitants, anyway. "Harry is under the impression that you and Malfoy-"

"Malfoy?" my heart nearly stopped.

"He said he saw you with him on the Astronomy Tower last night-"

"Oh no…" _I forgot to close the map when I was done- it was wide open._

"What were you doing with him? On the Astronomy Tower, of all places?" she whispered.

"I-" I stopped myself. Could I tell her?

"I won't tell Harry, if that's what you're worried about. I'm your best friend," those magic words lifted a heavy burden from my shoulders.

"Alright- but not here"

"Where, then?"

"The girl's bathroom," I decided, recalling it as an abandoned place.

"You don't want to go there," she warned, "it's been inhabited by girls who think you and Harry broke up. They're devising ways to slip him love potions"

"What?" First of all: when did these girls find out we were together? Second: how- _why_ do they think we broke up? Third: they're trying to slip him _love potions_?"

"In here-" she said, pulling me into an empty classroom. It was silent and the lights were off, but that only made it easier to confess. I told her about Dumbledore's request and my theories. About how Harry couldn't know and it worried me what conclusions he would draw.

"See?" I sighed.

"Well, I'm glad you told me. I guess there's really no way out of this with Harry other than to apologize and try to not get caught-" _funny, I would have thought she'd come up with something more witty than that._ _I guess I can't lean on her too much, she has problems of her own. _

"Thanks, Hermione," I opened my arms to hug her, but I ended up hitting the door. "Ow-"

She laughed, "come on, let's go"

The light poured into the classroom as we stepped into the hallway. It felt good to be close to Hermione again. Now I had someone who understood me.

However, that didn't mean I didn't want to vent my feelings.

I walked back to the common room, trying not to glance at Ron and Lavender eating each other's faces. My dorm was the only safe place to go.

_Take time to realize,_

_That your warmth is crashing down on in._

_Take time to realize,_

_That I am on your side_

_Didn't I, Didn't I tell you._

_But I can't spell it out for you,_

_No it's never gonna be that simple_

_No I can't spell it out for you…_


	20. Hanging by A Moment

Malfoy had been avoiding me lately, but the longer I went without progress the more stressed I became. It didn't help that my schoolwork had been doubled in the last month, a thanks to the Christmas holidays approaching. A swarm of girls were huddling around mistletoe, pathetically waiting for a prince charming. I scoffed and ran through it, following Malfoy down a string of corridors, which led to the Room of Requirement. He had taken several routes I had never been to before, the changing staircases making it nearly impossible to follow him properly.

I suppose he did it because he knew I was following him, but he didn't know I knew his destination. He didn't expect me to walk in the Room of Requirement-

"Draco-"

"What are you doing here?" he turned around, horrified that I had found him. I looked down at his hand, seeing he was holding an apple with one bite missing. _That's strange_…

"I've been trying to talk to you all day. I wanted to know if you wanted to talk-"

"I already told you- stay out of my business"

"Draco, I know something's going on. You've been sneaking around all year, you're moody and withdrawn-"

"Why do you care?"

"What do you mean?" I said, stepping forward carefully.

"All you do is follow around that Potter like a sick puppy-"

"I do not- where are you going?" I asked as he began to move for the exit. My heart raced with every step he took.

"I don't have any reason to stay"

"Come to Slughorn's party with me!" I shouted in desperation.

He seemed completely taken aback, "aren't you going with Potter?"

"No, he and I aren't exactly on good terms right now," I thought everyone would know about that, but maybe that's only the social part of girls' lives. "What I mean to say is, I'd love for you to come with me," he looked conflicted, "what's the harm of one dance?"

Hadn't that been his exact words two years ago?

_"May I have this dance?" a familiar voice asked. I turned and saw Draco Malfoy standing behind me, his arm extended courteously. I was taken off guard, to say the least._

_"Harry will be right back-"_

_"What's the harm of one dance?" he smiled harmlessly._

_"I suppose-" he took my hand and kissed it tenderly, making me freeze in my own body. This was so… out of character. He stood tall and pulled me close, swaying to the slow easy rhythm of the song._

_"Just curious, but why did you ask me to dance?" from what I knew, he wasn't particularly on good terms with my bunch._

_"I believe we got off on the wrong foot," he explained. _You've got that right._ "I'm not who they make me to be. Yes, we are, to say the least, not friends, however, you have only heard their side of the story…"_

There's always more than one perspective in any situation._ My mind drifted as my mother's words fluttered through my mind, filling me with the warm memory of her voice._

_"…If you ever need me" he finished._

I took secret passageways and abandoned corridors back, trying to retrace my steps. I had been so set on following Draco that I hadn't paid much attention to where I was. It wasn't until I ran into Harry-

"Harry!" my eyes widened, however, he didn't look so surprised. In his hands was the Marauder's Map. "How long have you been following me?"

"Long enough to know what you've been up to"

"It's not what you think-"

"Then what is it, Jenny? Been sneaking off to study? Play some chess?"

"No-"

"I knew it," he said, turning and walking down the passage.

"No! No, that's not what I meant, Harry. Harry!" had I just confessed to something I didn't even know I did?

Feeling my chance was slipping away; I pulled my guitar out and began strumming. The corridor was dark, and I couldn't tell if the shadows were Harry's or a trick of the light. He could be gone already, out of earshot, but I didn't care. It was about time I put this song to play.

"_Take time to realize,_

_That your warmth is crashing down on in._

_Take time to realize,_

_That I am on your side_

_Didn't I, Didn't I tell you._

_But I can't spell it out for you,_

_No it's never gonna be that simple_

_No I can't spell it out for you_

_If you just realize what I just realized,_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And will never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder if_

_We missed out on each other now._

_Take time to realize_

_Oh-oh I'm on your side_

_Didn't I, didn't I tell you._

_Take time to realize_

_This all can pass you by_

_But I can't spell it out for you,_

_No its never gonna be that simple_

_No I can't spell it out for you._

_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And we'll never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder if_

_We missed out on each other but._

_It's not the same_

_No it's never the same_

_If you don't feel it too._

_If you meet me half way_

_If you would meet me half way._

_It could be the same for you._

_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Then we'd be perfect for each other_

_And we'll never find another_

_Just realize what I just realized_

_We'd never have to wonder_

_Just realize what I just realized_

Harry hadn't come back and I was beginning to feel like he wasn't going to.

_If you just realize what I just realized_

_Oh_

_Missed out on each other now_

_Missed out on each other now_

_Realize_

_Realize_

_Realize…_

By the time I had repeated and faded for at least twenty seconds, I figured he wouldn't be coming back. I put my guitar back in my pouch and dragging my feet back to the common room.

_You really missed out on this one, Jenny_. A cold chill ran down my spine as I realized I might not be forgiven. When would the secrets end?

When I came back to the archway shrouded with mistletoe, I wasn't running in hot pursuit, I was pushing through the crowd of girls. They seemed more riled up than before, probably because a male came within fifteen feet of them. I sighed, approaching the archway in woe.

To my surprise, I found the archway suddenly blocked. A gentle finger slowly tilted my head until determined green eyes met mine. Hanging by a moment, our eyes danced until our lips met. The roar of reactions seemed dull compared to the symphony soaring through me. I floated back to Hogwarts on a cloud, the warm sunshine guiding me to bliss.

It didn't even bother be that Harry's trust was blind. He has faith in us and believes me when I tell him I can't reveal everything. Maybe he understands because Dumbledore's had him do the same.

"What's happened to you? You look like you just won the world cup," Hermione said, looking up from her book.

"Oh Hermione, it's so much better than that"

"You mean Harry-" I nodded, receiving a proud smile in return.

"You wouldn't have said anything, would you, Mione?" I grinned mischievously.

"There's no fooling you, is there?" she grinned as I laughed my way onto my bed. I took a deep breath, clearing my head. Once the pleasant buzzing was gone, I refocused on what mattered.

"You know, tomorrow's Transfiguration lesson in supposed to be difficult-"

"Ugh- Hermione, you're such a buzz kill!" I rolled over, drowning my moans into my pillow.


	21. Bloody Sod Git Twit Arse Prat

We had just embarked on a difficult human transfiguration chapter, in which our first lesson was to change the color of our eyebrows. I stood before my mirror, my wand pointed at my brow bone, muttering my spell. Thankfully, Hermione had talked me into practicing last night and I had the spell down pat.

"What do you think, Harry?" I turned to him, my eyebrows now a sizzling electric blue.

"Spectacular," he grinned, his left eyebrow newly virescent. "And mine?"

"Quite lovely- they even match your eyes!" I giggled; turning to see what color Hermione had made hers. My smile faded when I saw her morbid expression. I followed her gaze to see Ron, whom had a spectacular handlebar mustache. However, he was doing a cruel impression of Hermione jumping up and down in her seat when Professor McGonogall asked a question. Lavender and Parvati were egging him on, howling with laughter. I frowned, turning to Hermione. All of this was because Ginny told Ron about Viktor. The bloke should have seen it coming, anyway.

I flicked my wand discreetly, causing Ron's eyebrows to grow at an alarming rate until they reached the floor, curling out to match his mustache. I saw a sparkle of amusement in Hermione's eyes while I openly smirked at my success. Ron was so busy panicking that he didn't notice I was the one who did it. At the end of class, Hermione left immediately, forgetting most of her things. I suppose my little prank wasn't enough to expunge all of her sorrows, so I grabbed her books and darted after her.

After Hermione and I spent a while in the bathroom, I had her cheered up enough for dinner. Harry was sitting with Ron, but we decided that it was likely Lavender would show up soon, so we sat a bit down the table.

My ears tuned into their conversation when I heard a familiar name.

"…that Adrienne thing really freaked them out, but as there hadn't been anything since… Oh, hi, Hermione!" Parvati beamed, smiling at us both. I smiled back; happy to see she was awkward about Ron and Lavender, too. As it turned out, Lavender had squished between Harry and Ron, nuzzling against him and being as obsessive as possible.

"Hi Parvati! Are you going to Slughorn's Party tonight?" Hermione asked, completely ignoring the two lovebirds.

"No invite," she pouted, losing the gleam in her eyes, "I'd love to go, though. Sounds like fun- better than studying all night. You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm meeting Cormac at eight and we're-"

There was a loud noise, causing most of us to jump, and Ron surfaced from his alternate world and into reality. Hermione acted as though nothing had happened, practicing my advice more thoroughly than I expected.

"-we're going up to the party together"

"Cormac? Cormac McLaggen?" Parvati confirmed.

"That's right," Hermione replied sweetly, "the one who _**almost**_became a Gryffindor keeper" she said, reminding Ron of her contribution to his success.

"Are you going out with him, then?" she leaned in, wide eyed and open-eared.

"Oh yes- didn't you know?" she giggled in a very un-Hermione-like way. So un-Hermione-like, in fact, that I was baffled at her thoroughness and glanced at Harry, who had the same reaction. It seems like our little Hermione has a knack for revenge.

"No!" she said, positively agog at the gossip. "Wow, you sure like your quidditch players, don't you? First Krum, then McLaggen…"

"I like _really good_ quidditch players," she corrected, beaming in triumph, "well, see you! Got to get ready for the party!" she popped to her feet like a jack-in-the-box. At once, Parvati and Lavender huddled to converse, Ron becoming a dim second in interest.

I stood, my face still frozen with shock as I followed Hermione out of the Great Hall.

"That… was…" I began, at a loss for words.

"Exhilarating? Belated? Thrilling?"

"Brilliant!" I broke into a grin. "Wow, Mione, I didn't think you had it in you! It's always the quiet ones…"

/

I took a deep breath before following Hermione down the staircase, which Harry was waiting by the foot of. Nearby stood a group of jealous girls sending me hateful glares, but what did they matter? Nothing- they were nothing. I had my real friends and that was all it took for the world to turn.

Hermione had swirled to the foot of the stairs, arm in arm with McLaggen (to Ron's benefit, I'm sure). This alerted Harry of my entrance, and he turned to look up at me with that same dreamy smile he had at the Yule Ball. My dress sparkled along with my necklace Harry had given me that very night two years ago. My earrings, a gift from Hermione from a previous Christmas, just barely peeked out from behind my golden curls. I had pinned my hair back enough so that they were visible.

When I reached the bottom, I could have sworn Harry was about to drool. I thought I'd save him the embarrassment, so I laced my arm through his and we left for Slughorn's party. Once we were in the corridor, Hermione dropped her arm from Cormac's, insisting that they "save it for the after party". Harry and I were a little put off by that statement, so we dropped behind them.

"Do you think Ron will ever get over himself?" I asked, pondering how long it would take for him to man up and straighten out his issues with Hermione.

"Dunno, what do you think?"

"I give him until the end of the year"

"Why then?"

"Because then I kick his ass," I said with a little preview kick. Thank god my dress had a slit. Harry snickered, obviously amused by my feisty attitude. "Well, he needs a eye-opener! How rude he's been lately. It's like he's been brainwashed-"

"He's just oblivious, I suppose"

"Are you kidding? He's a bloody- sod- git- twit- arse- prat-" I fired as many British slang terms I knew, but stopped in a huff when Harry began laughing out loud. "What?"

"It's just funny to hear you swear like that. Just two years ago you came here with an American accent and all, and now you've got this vast vocabulary"

"I guess I adapt well," I smiled, almost laughing myself. I must have looked like a belligerent fool shouting out those swears words. I looked around, hoping no one had heard.


	22. Slughorn's Party

"Don't worry, no one could have heard you," Harry replied, leading me through the doorway into the loud, crowded room. It was larger than I'd remembered it, with emerald, crimson, and gold drapes around the walls to make it seem like a giant tent. A red light bathed the room, cast from a golden lamp in the middle of the room in which real fairies circled, giving off their own brilliant lights. Loud singing, not nearly as pleasant to the ears as mine, accompanied by some unidentified instrument, issued from a distant corner. Small house elves whizzed around our legs, plates of food balanced on their heads, like tiny roving tables.

"Ah! Harry m'boy!" boomed a voice that could only be Slughorn's. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!" he gripped Harry's arm, diving deep into the sea of well-dressed people. Harry made a desperate reach for my hand, pulling me close behind him. I felt like we were apparating, we were so squished. I'd never been in a room so packed. Finally, we reached a pocket of air and I stumbled forward into Harry.

"There you are! I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires- and, of course, his friend Sanguini."

Worple was a small stout man who grabbed Harry's hand and shook it enthusiastically. Sanguini slowly lifted my hand to his lips. I had no doubt the teeth behind them were sharp and thirsty, by the looks of him. He looked emaciated with dark shadows beneath his brooding eyes. I felt as though a spell were broken when Worple suddenly shook me back to reality. "Good to meet you, good to meet you…" I smiled politely, still a little shaken from my first vampire run-in. "As I was saying the other day, where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?"

"Er-"

"Just as modest as Horace described! But seriously-" his manner changed instantly; suddenly businesslike. "I would be delighted to write it myself. People are craving to know more about you, dear boy, _craving_! And your girlfriend- who doesn't like a little romance? Oh just imagine the ratings!" His eyes gleamed. My focus wasn't on his deluded plan for a book on Harry, it was on the vampire who seemed to be slowly edging towards me. Had anyone noticed- or was it just I?

"If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four or give hour sessions, we could have the book finished in a matter of months. All with very little effort on your part, I assure you- ask Sanguini here if it isn't quite- _Sanguini_!"

I had retreated almost completely behind Harry now, and Worple had only just noticed. _I think I just saw my first vampire fang…_ Worple plucked a pasty off of a house elf's tray and shoved it in Sanguini's hand. Harry had his arm wrapped protectively around me, even after Sanguini retreated a few steps.

"My dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea-" he continued as if all was right in the world.

"I'm definitely not interested-" Harry said firmly as Worple's gaze fell to me with interest, "and neither is Jenny."

"Oh, look there! It was so nice to meet you two, but I've just spotted a dear friend of mine and we must be going now," I smiled forcedly, leading a willing Harry past Sanguini and towards a brown mane that had just disappeared behind a curtain. "Hermione!"

"Oh! Jenny! Harry! Thank goodness! I've just escaped- I mean… left Cormac under the mistletoe," she heaved, looking as if she'd just fought her way out of a Devil's Snare- the hard way. "Oh god, here he comes," she ducked down, slipping away under a tray of snacks just as Cormac approached.

"Hello Potter, Miss Bennett, seen your friend Granger around here?" Cormac asked, towering over the crowd like a skyscraper.

"Sorry- I think she just went to powder her nose," Harry gestured in a random direction.

"Slicker than a mynx, your friend," he sighed, appearing somewhat repulsive. "Nice to work her mouth, too, isn't she?"

He nodded in response to his own question as he stuffed his mouth with some sort of meatball a house elf had brought past.

"What is this meat I'm having?" he asked, trying to place a taste, I cringed.

"Dragon balls," I replied bluntly. His body stood erect as he took in what I had said. I'd never seen anything so amusing in my life. All at once, Professor Snape strode up to us, Cormac decided to give in to his gag reflex, and managed to land himself a month of detention. All the meanwhile, Harry and I tried to slip away, realizing that no good could come from a Snape encounter.

"Not so fast," he said in a slow, powerful manner. His tone alone stopped my feet from moving. "I wish to convey a message"

"A message?" Harry asked.

"From professor Dumbledore. He asked me to give you his best and he hopes you enjoy your holidays. You see- he's travelling and won't return until term resumes-"

"-Travelling where?" Harry cut in, only for Snape to turn away without a word. _Travelling…_ Could it be he's after another Horcrux?

Before I had much chance to ponder Snape's message, a disturbance parted the crowd and caught everyone's attention. Draco Malfoy was being dragged into the room by the ear by Filch.

"Professor Slughorn, I discovered this boy in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out-"

He was set to a stop in the center of the room, as if on a spotlight. His gaze flicked from Filch, to Slughorn, to Snape, to Harry- and finally- to me. _Oh god…_


	23. Progress

"Okay! Okay! I was gate crashing- happy?" he pulled away from Filch, enraged.

"No! I'm not! I wanna see some punishment! You're a troublemaker- you are!"

"Professor Slughorn, don't you think it'd be alright to let him stay? It is the holidays, you know, there's no shame in wanting to celebrate," I stepped forward, smiling at my half-drunk teacher. I took a risk and glanced at Draco, whose eyes were fixed on me.

"You're quite right, Miss Bennett! Let the boy stay, Filch!" he bellowed, raising his glass, which was, at no shock to me, now empty. He hadn't even noticed he'd drunk it all until he tried to drink wine from the empty glass.

"Thank you, sir," Draco approached us with an unreadable expression. I began to worry when I saw him up close. Draco looked ill- literally, this time.

"It's nothing, I did know your grandfather after all…" he trailed off, setting down his glass with a shaky hand.

"Do you need a drink, Draco?" I asked, taking note of his somewhat grayish skin. Before he could respond, we were interrupted. For a fleeting moment I thought it was Harry, and soon I would wish it had been.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," Snape said suddenly.

"Now, Severus," Slughorn hiccupped, "it's Christmas, don't be too hard-"

"I'm his Head of House. I shall decide how hard, or other-wise, to be," he said curtly, "follow me, Draco"

Looking resentful, Draco followed Snape out of the room. I bit my lip, wondering if I had just gotten Draco into a load of trouble. I _had_ invited him, though he hadn't been very clear in his answer… _Ugh- that's it-_ I weaved through the crowd, making my way towards the door. My mokeskin pouch definitely didn't match my fancy dress, but I _never_ leave my room without it. I pulled my wand out of my pouch and silently cast the bedazzling hex, allowing me to follow them unseen.

I ran down the corridor, the loud music and laughter of Slughorn's party far behind me. How far would Malfoy and Snape go for their talk? Could it be that their topic was so scandalous that they had to take extreme precautions and go all the way to the dungeons? _No_. I saw the tail of Snape's robe disappear into a classroom and sprinted towards it (on my tip-toes, of course). I didn't reach it in time to go inside, but I kneeled by the door and looked through the keyhole.

"-cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you're expelled-" suddenly, I was pushed onto the floor my an invisible force. Thankfully, I hadn't made much noise. _What the heck was that?_ I scrambled to my knees, positioning my eye before the keyhole again.

"Who suspects me?" Draco barked angrily, "Maybe that girl had some enemy-"

Again, I was hit, but this time it was a hard blow to the head. I was sure the sound of impact could be loud enough for them to hear. This time when I was hit, however, I heard a grunt of pain- and it wasn't mine. There was a pause in Snape and Draco's dialogue, and for a moment I thought for sure I had been discovered. Thankfully, Draco spoke and I allowed myself to breathe.

"I don't need protection- I was chosen. Out of all of us- _me_"

Snape's reply was too low for me to hear, and I was beginning to think that trying to get too near the door wasn't a great plan.

"So break it, then! It's none of your business!"

"I can assist you-"

"I have all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"Keep your voice down!" Snape whispered harshly.

"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!" Draco replied, not taking Snape's advice on being quiet.

"You're speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but-" the door burst open and I was immediately grateful I hadn't been up against it. Draco strode out, past Slughorn's office, and around a distant corner. I stopped breathing when Snape emerged slowly, his expression unfathomable. I remained still and silent until Snape re-entered the party. I exhaled once I was clear of everyone- except my invisible intruder.

"Harry?" I whispered anxiously. If it wasn't Harry, I had made a huge mistake. Thankfully, he threw off his cloak when he heard my voice and I released my charm, a trickle of moisture dripping down my back, alerting me that I was visible again. He outstretched his hand, pulling me up with relief. Although, who else had the ability to be invisible but us? Teachers probably could, but they wouldn't need to because they have authority. I snapped to my feet, hugging him as I balanced myself. "I'm guessing you don't want to go back to the party?" I asked, rhetorically, of course. We went directly opposite the party, straight back to the common room. I knew this night's events were crucial and I needed to talk to Dumbledore, but I couldn't go while I was with Harry. I knew there was no way he'd let me run off on him, especially after what just happened with Draco.

/

"Didn't you hear him, Jenny? He said he cursed Adrienne!"

"No- no, I didn't hear that," I shook my head. "Must've been when you knocked me to the ground" Ron stayed silent, not able to keep up with the quarrel.

"He said he did- and Snape was trying to help him. He said he made the unbreakable vow-"

"I didn't hear-"

"The unbreakable vow?" Ron jumped in, recognizing something in our conversation. I exhaled in frustration, but let him speak because it would be nice to know what one was, whether Snape said it or not. "Nah, he can't have… Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. What does it mean?"

"Well… you can't break an Unbreakable Vow"

"And if you do?"

"You die"

I stood up, unable to stand any more conversation. I slid the door open only for Lavender Brown to come running up the hall. I shut the sliding door, making it clear that she wasn't welcome, and turned to find another compartment to stay in. Anything was better than being in there right now.

I finally found an empty compartment and slid the door open, not bothering to shut it behind me. The fact that Harry was convinced Draco had almost killed Adry… That Snape was a death eater… and conspiring against Dumbledore? It was too much.

A familiar figure stepped into the compartment and shut the door behind me.

"Lavender?" I asked, receiving a nod from Hermione.

"Harry?" she returned. I shrugged a shoulder. "Draco." I sighed.

"Last night, while Harry and I were at the party, Filch dragged Draco in and I convinced Slughorn, which was surprisingly easy, to let him stay. But then Snape took him out into the hall and I knew I had to follow. Apparently, Harry had the same idea and we ended up trying to snoop from the same spot and kept unknowingly bumping each other. We heard different bits of the conversation, I suppose. And Harry said that Draco- Draco said he was the one who cursed Adry- and Snape made an unforgiveable curse to protect him"

"Lavender had drawn a heart with her and Ron's initials on the door"

I pursed my lips, unsatisfied with both of our situations. "It can't last much longer, him and Lavender. He didn't let her in, did he?" Hermione shook her head. "He's getting sick of her"

Now it was her turn.

"Snape had to have been saying these things because he's trying to figure out what Malfoy's up to"

_Maybe Dumbledore's told him to because I haven't been making enough progress. _

"Did you talk to Dumbledore about that night, yet?"

"No- Harry wouldn't let me out of his sight"


	24. Cut

I was glad to be welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley at the station. It was like I never left. I watched Hermione pass through the brick barrier alone, soon to meet her parents on the muggle side. It was sad to see her go, for everyone else stayed at the Burrow and she had to go alone. _But she's not really alone. She's with her parents, her family._

We took muggle taxis again, and instead of sitting with Harry and Ron, I jumped at the chance to sit with the twins.

"So what's up, Jenny?" Fred asked as I slid in after him.

"What do you mean?" George shut the door behind him, forming a Jenny-sandwich.

"Why did you choose to sit with us when you could sit with Harry and Ron?"

"Because I love you guys, of course"

They didn't buy it.

"We're not getting along"

"Ah, a lovers' quarrel-" Fred exclaimed as George fumbled through his pockets.

"No, that's not-" I began, but stopped when I saw what he was searching for.

"We've got plenty of love potions. It'd be easy to slip some-" he pulled out a glowing pink vial.

I groaned, "Not that stuff- do you know how many girls were trying to slip him that rubbish?"

"Rubbish?" they looked offended, "Do you know how long we slaved over the cauldron to produce such a magnificent product?"

I just looked at him, not having to say a thing.

"Alright, so what can we do you for?" Fred asked, trying to change the subject before I decided to hex them.

"Well, for one, Ron's been a total git lately. He's all wound up over Lavender Brown ever since we ran into Ginny and Dean-"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Fred exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Are you saying Ron and this girl-"

"Yes"

They exchanged glances before continuing, "and Ginny and Dean? What happened there?"

"Er- nothing," I blushed, remembering the scene, "It just came up that Ron had never kissed anyone so he went out and got a girlfriend. Every time I'd pass the common room he'd be eating her face-"

"Ron? _Our _Ron? Snogging a girl?" this seemed to be a huge shock to them, but also the spark of a new topic of harassment and jokes.

The car lurched to a halt as we reached the long winding path leading to the burrow. George popped out, extending his hand to escourt. A smile lit my face as I gazed at the burrow. It was magnificent- a castle in my eyes.

"Do you like him?" Fred asked.

"Sorry?" I blinked, turning to him.

"Your Pygmy Puff"

"Oh, Reggie? Yeah. I went mad when I found him following me around, but we've come to like each other," he nuzzled against the crook of my neck. "I'll race you two to the back," I grinned before sprinting toward the house.

"You're on," they chorused, darting after me. My hair flapped behind me, sweeping against my neck as I ran eagerly. It then occurred to me that Reggie might fall off of my shoulder. I slowed a bit, my hand reaching for my bare shoulder. I staggered to a stop, my eyes darting about the tall grasses. A small movement against my back made me freeze. My hand slowly reached back, my fingers grazing a patch of fur in my hood. I exhaled in relief- he was all right. _Where did Fred and George go?_ I made my way to the back to find Fred and George waiting casually.

"You cheats! You apparated!" I accused them. I hadn't seen them run behind me or ahead, even when I stopped. They were lounging with sly grins on their faces.

"You mean us? Your dear brothers?"

"You honestly think we'd use our newfound privileges against you?"

I rolled my eyes as I pulled Reggie out of my hood. I fell onto the grass and rolled until I found a comfortable spot with few lumps.

"What to do first? Quidditch? Exploding Snaps? Wizards Chess?" I raised a brow at Reggie as he blinked back at me with sparkling orbs. "Guys?" I pulled myself up, seeing the spot where Fred and George sat now empty. I headed for the door, placing Reggie on my shoulder before entering. Harry and Ron stood by the counter, peeling a mountain of sprouts. I approached them, noticing they were in a heated dispute.

"What?" Ron exclaimed, fuming.

"Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful now!" Ron's knife flew towards Fred. Unfortunately, I was just about in between them. My eyes widened as the knife headed straight at me. My reaction was to lean backwards, which evidently made me lose balance. I watched as the knife turned into a paper airplane before my eyes. I immediately regretted my reaction, deciding I'd rather take a hit by a paper airplane than fall.

Fortunately, I didn't fall completely. Harry caught me- but only just. Unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley walked in.

"Ron! Don't you _ever_ let me see you throwing knives again! You just about hit Jenny!"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley. Did you need something?" I asked as Harry helped me to my feet.

"Fred, George, I'm sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two"

"No problem," said George.

"Then Charlie isn't coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and Fleur will stay with the girls. Everyone should be comfortable, well, they'll have a bed, anyway"

"Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?" Fred said spitefully. Mrs. Weasley turned away before she answered, "no, he's busy, I expect, at the ministry" she said before leaving.

Subconsciously, my hand moved to my side where Harry's hand had been when he caught me. When my fingers grazed my exposed skin a stinging feeling burned through my side. Harry had been holding the knife when he caught me. I turned and saw Harry staring at his hand, the red blade burning in his palm.

"It's nothing, I'll just go change-"

"Let me help-" he offered, stepping forward.

"I assure you, Harry, I'm fully capable of changing myself," I snickered, covering my side and hurrying to the bathroom. It didn't hurt too badly, and I mostly worried about how Harry was taking it. Not to mention Ron, if he were to figure he'd indirectly caused it.

I made it to the bathroom undetected by any other members of the family, thankfully. I first pulled my shirt up to see the full wound. It wasn't that wide, but it was a little deeper than I thought. I went to touch it, but found myself unable to from the pain. I took my clean hand and pulled out my wand- _episkey_. I watched as the cut healed up. _Well, it's good to know it works for cuts, too._


	25. Cut Harry's POV

Waterrelic requested I rewrite chapter 24 in Harry's point of view to iron out any confusion. Enjoy the treat!

/

The taxi pulled up to the end of the Burrow's long drive, stopping just behind the other taxi. George was the first out, followed by an elated Jenny. Her enthusiasm inevitably caused me to smile in reaction. She always has this effect on me, when she smiles. It's as if the whole world were her stage, and I her audience, watching the rehearsal before the performance. One she put on just for me.

"Do you like him?" Fred asked her. I tuned in on this particular conversation, even as Ron chatted by my side, clearly under the impression I wanted to hear more about his romance trifles.

"Sorry?" Jenny turned to face him as he got out of the taxi.

"Your Pygmy Puff"

My ears tuned in anxiously to hear her reply.

"Oh, Reggie?"

She named him Reggie?

"Yeah. I went mad when I found him following me around, but we've come to like each other," she said as he nuzzled against the crook of her neck. "I'll race you two to the back," she grinned before sprinting towards the house.

"You're on," the twins chorused, but didn't follow.

_You cheats. _

I was surprised Jenny didn't see it coming. She was going up against the twins, after all. I watched them disapparate, without so much as a mutual glance. They were so predictable. Even though I've known her for years, Jenny still surprises me every day.

"Harry?" Ron stepped in front of me, blocking Jenny from my view.

"Yeah?"

"Mum wants us to peel some sprouts. Says she has to get ready for company and we ought to help her," he said, obviously not looking forward to the mundane task. I followed him inside, allowing him to continue his monologue about Lavender and Hermione. Really, nothing he's said is news to me -at least, of what I've caught as I drifted in and out of listening to him.

"Ah, George, look at them! They're using knives and everything," Fred walked in, acting proud as if he'd just stumbled upon children who'd just learned how to walk.

"I'll be seventeen soon enough- you just wait!" Ron grumbled, slicing at his sprouts as if it were Fred's head.

"I'm sure you'll dazzle us with your magical skills," Fred yawned.

"Speaking of unsuspected skills, Ronals," George grinned, "What is this we hear from Jenny about a young lady named- unless our information is faulty- Lavender Brown?"

Ron turned a little pink in the cheeks, but didn't look displeased as he turned back to peeling. "Mind your own business"

"What a snappy retort," Fred responded, "Don't know how you think of them. What we really want to know is… how did it happen?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Did she have an accident or something? Head trauma?"

"What?" Ron exclaimed, fuming. I tore my eyes from their dispute to see Jenny walk in the back door. She seemed to have recovered from what emotions I expect she felt when she discovered the twins had cheated. She walked toward us, clearly fixed on the heated dispute happening in the kitchen. I remembered when Ron and Ginny had gone at it, my subconscious warning me that it may turn ugly. Jenny had stepped more or less between them, perhaps she was going to try to break it up.

"Well, how did she sustain such extensive brain damage? Careful now!" Ron chucked his knife at Fred. Clearly, he had no idea Jenny had even entered the room. My eyes widened as I saw the blade shoot past her face. My immediate reaction was to catch her, my feet moving forward as she instinctively fell out of the knife's path. One of the twins must have seen it coming, because the knife turned into a paper airplane. Jenny fell into my arms and the situation ended without casualties.

Well… almost. Mrs. Weasley had walked into the room in time to see the knife, which means there's still a possibility someone might get their ear ripped off.

"Ron! Don't you _ever_ let me see you throwing knives again! You just about hit Jenny!"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley. Did you need something?" Jenny asked as I set her on her feet.

"Fred, George, I'm sorry, dears, but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two"

"No problem," said George.

"Then Charlie isn't coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and Fleur will stay with the girls. Everyone should be comfortable, well, they'll have a bed, anyway"

"Percy definitely not showing his ugly face, then?" Fred said spitefully. Mrs. Weasley turned away before she answered, "no, he's busy, I expect, at the ministry" she said before leaving. My eyes moved to Jenny's hand as she reached for her side where my hand had been when I caught her. Then it hit me.

I was holding a knife when I caught her.

As if I were hit by a moving train, the guilt nearly killed me on the spot. I stared at my open palm, the small peeling knife coated in a red sheen.

"It's nothing, I'll just go change-" Jenny started.

"Let me help-" I offered, trying desperately to make up for my heinous mistake.

"I assure you, Harry, I'm fully capable of changing myself," she snickered, trying to brush it off as if it were a papercut. Before I could speak again, she had already disappeared into the hall.


	26. Christmas

**Watch my new music video for Brick By Boring Brick here (on youtube): **

**.com/watch?v=ZdRIQ3JNoH0  
**

"Ah, Jenny! How good eet eez to see you!" Fleur fluttered into the room. "Oh, what happened to you?"

"I had a little accident," I tried to smile as she grimaced at my cut, "could you hand me a towel?"

"Oh, no, I would not use a towel on zat!" she pulled out her wand, "_Tergeo,_" the blood cleared from my skin and I looked near good as new. I had a small mark, a little scar, perhaps, but otherwise it looked great.

"Thanks, that was brilliant"

"Veela 'air cores are magnificent for charm work. If only Grandmother could have given you some for your wand, but you didn't come to Gregorovich's shop. Eet's just as well, she's already given 'air, who knows 'ow much more-"

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?"

"Honestly, I wasn't sure for a while, as we suspected the worst-"

"I'm sorry, Fleur, but I have _no idea_ what you're talking about"

"I think I 'ave something for you to wear. That top 'as to go," she said, examining me as if I were a canvas for her to paint on. _Did she hear a word I said, or was she flipping through outfit ideas this whole time?_ "Come," she grabbed my hand, leading me to our room. She positioned me in the middle of the room before shuffling through her clothes.

"So, eez 'arry 'im?"

"Sorry?" I furrowed a brow, a bit confused by her question.

"Is 'e zee one? Your soul mate," she clarified as if it were a casual question.

"Um, well, I-"

"Yes or no" she demanded.

"Yes," I blurted.

"Good," she smiled pleasantly, holding different clothes in front of me.

"'ere- zees eez for you," she threw a red cashmere sweater at me. "Put zat on, I'll be in zee living room with Bill," she spun gracefully and fluttered out of the room. With so much going on, I tried to shake off all of my theories and suspicions so I could have a clear head for the holidays. I took off my bloody shirt and put on Fleur's sweater. A little low cut, but not so much that Mrs. Weasley would flip out. I could hear conversations down the hall, a festive mood set by Mrs. Weasley's obscure music choices.

I turned towards the doorway only to find it open and Harry frozen in the doorframe. I approached him slowly; unsure as to whether or not he had been peeking. I noticed a small trestle of mistletoe laced its way around the doorframe. My eyes lowered and locked onto Harry's, who had been rendered speechless.

"Happy Christmas, Harry," I said before closing my lips onto his. This rare moment of complete peace and bliss was interrupted by the dramatic increase in music volume coming from the living room. A loud voice warbled _Oh, come and stir my cauldron, and if you do it right, I'll boil you up some hot strong love, to keep you warm tonight_. Our kiss somehow melted into laughter as we breezed into the living room. Fred, George, and Ginny were playing exploding snaps while Ron was not-so-discreetly watching Bill and Fleur for tips. I found the scene quite… comforting, as amusing as it may be. Who knows how many more moments like these I would get? The future is unknown, but the path there is a dangerous one. I needed every happy memory I could get.

I noticed Lupin sitting by the fire, looking thinner and more ragged than ever. As I approached him, I noticed his eyes were staring into the fire's depths as though he could not hear anything around him.

"Lupin?" I asked as I sat down next to the flickering fire. "How have you been doing?"

"I've been living among my fellows, my equals," he said, his eyes flicking at me for a single word, "werewolves". _Werewolves…_ "Nearly all of them are on Voldemort's side. Dumbledore wanted a spy and I was… ready-made"

He sounded a bit bitter, and it seemed he realized it and tried to cover it up with a smile. "I'm not complaining; it's necessary work and who could do it better than I? However, gaining their trust hasn't been an easy task. I've been living amongst wizards they've shunned normal society and lived on the margins, stealing- sometimes killing- to eat"

Needless to say, that wasn't a very comfortable thing for me to think about.

"So… why do they like Voldemort?"

"They think that they'll have a better life under his rule, and it's hard to argue with Greyback out there…"

"Who's Greyback?"

"You haven't heard of him?" Lupin's hands closed convulsively in his lap as he closed his eyes in thought. "Fenrir Greyback is the most savage werewolf alive today. His mission in life is to bite and contaminate as many people as possible; he wants to create enough werewolves to overcome wizards. Voldemort promised him prey for his services… He specializes in children…" _I don't like where this is going…_ "Bite them young, he says, and raise them away from their parents, raise them to hate wizards. Voldemort has threatened to unleash him upon people's sons and daughters; it is a threat that usually produces good results"

I remained still, taking in the horrifying information. Just picturing Greyback positioning himself near places with children, when the moon turned full…

"It was Greyback who bit me."

"When you were a child?" I asked softly, with such a delicate subject.

"Yes, my father had offended him. For the longest time I thought a man with no control of his condition bit me. I even felt pity, knowing by then how it felt to transform. But Greyback isn't like that- he plans his attacks. Positions himself closely enough to ensure that he can strike. And this is the man whom Voldemort has leading the werewolves. I can't exactly pretend that my particular brand of reasoned argument is making much headway against Greyback's insistence that we werewolves deserve blood. That we ought to revenge ourselves on normal people-"

"But you are normal! You just-"

"Just have a condition? Sirius was right, Jenny. You have your mother's heart," he smiled thoughtfully, as if remembering some sobering memory.

"Jenny?" Harry asked, shuffling anxiously beside me.

"Yes?" I asked, a little surprised at his appearance. Had I been spacing out?

"I was wondering if you fancied a walk"

"A walk?"

"With me, outside"

"Alright," I stood, getting my coat from the rack and buttoning it as I headed for the door. Harry beat me to it, holding it open for me as I passed through. I smiled, flattered by his manners. I wondered what he had planned.


	27. If Everyone Cared

"So, how's your Christmas?" Harry said, striding beside me through the snow.

"Great, I'm so happy to be back at the burrow. I think it's wonderful that you stay here too. Everyone's here- except for Hermione"

He nodded, a little lost in thought. I grabbed at a patch of snow, throwing it loosely at Harry while he was distracted. It cascaded down in snowflakes, settling down against his dark mess of hair.

He remained still for a moment before a smile slowly tugged at his lips. I squeaked, picking up speed. A snowball hit me square in the back and I knew it was war. I grabbed at snow, trying to pack it into a ball, but the snow was too powdery and I ended up misting him again.

"No fair!" I exclaimed as I spotted him crafting a perfect snowball. "How do you do that?"

"I've been practicing since our last fight," he grinned as he approached me.

"No- No- Harry!" I backed up, finding myself at a disadvantage. Somehow, we both ended up laughing and before I knew it, we were rolling in the snow. Eventually, we ended up on our backs, looking up at the stars.

It was so surreal, so perfect, that I wished we could freeze time right here and now. If this moment were to never end…

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how happy I am to alive," he said, reaching for my hand and lacing his fingers through mine.

"Let's write a song," I proposed, propping myself up so I could see Harry.

"What?" he sat up from surprise.

"A song"

"Right now?" he asked, but I was already getting my guitar out.

"Yes, come on, Harry. Try it," I took off my gloves so I could pluck the strings.

"You hands- they'll get cold"

"Not if I keep playing," I smiled, already knowing how I would start.

"From underneath the trees, we watch the sky

Confusing stars for satellites

I never dreamed that you'd be mine

But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing, "Amen I, I'm alive"

Singing, "Amen I, I'm alive"

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we'd see the day when nobody died"

I pulled back into the chorus, my breath slightly visible in the dark. I could still see Harry, but only because of the fireflies dancing around us. This time, when I sang the bridge, Harry echoed me. It was amazing, his voice blending with mine. It was as if we were dancing at the ball again.

"And in the air the fireflies

Our only light in paradise

We'll show the world they were wrong

And teach them all to sing along"

He smiled warmly at me, sending a hot shiver through my fingers, encouraging them to play the chorus with more energy. I nodded encouragingly at him, seeing his mind hard at work as I repeated the chorus.

"And as we lie beneath the stars

We realize how small we are

If they could love like you and me

Imagine what the world could be"

I was overcome with happiness when he continued to sing, even after his verse. It was like a dream. The perfect moment captured a song.

I put my guitar into my pouch, knowing it was past its limit out in the snow.

"Jenny, I didn't bring you out here without a reason"

"So, what is it?" I looked up at him with a curious gleam in my eye. He shuffled through his pockets, finally pulling out a golden charm bracelet. I gasped, reaching towards it.

"Harry…" he fumbled with the clasp, having trouble with it as he had his gloves on. I helped him, since mine were still off. Once it was on, I turned it, admiring the charms.

"That one is from Hermione; the book. That broom there is from Ginny, the wand is from the twins, the chess piece, there, is from Ron…" he explained as I smiled in amusement. Each charm was so like the person who had bought it. I wondered if the twins had done something to the wand. It looked so innocent, so much like the others, but that wasn't really their style. "…And that one there is from me"

Linked onto the gold chain was a ruby heart, which sparkled in spite of the dim lighting.

"Oh, Harry," I sighed into an embrace, "can we really afford something this nice?"

"It's a gift, Jenny, don't worry about it"

"I know, and it's lovely, but it looks so expensive-" he cut me off with a kiss, pulling me to my feet.

"Let's go back, it's getting late," his voice showed concern. He was always so transparent. I put my gloves back on before taking his hand and walking back to the burrow. Most of the lights were off, but I could tell the fire was still going, as the living room window emitted a soft warm glow.

"Are they asleep? All of them?"

"I don't know, I suppose," he said, opening the door. I quickly took off my gloves, jacket, and boots. The fire was too tempting to my cold fingers. I hadn't realized how chilly it was.

"You're soaking wet," I said to Harry as he sat next to me by the fire.

"You too," he pointed out.

"Right," I smiled. _Silly me_. "Do you want a drink? I could make some tea"

"Tea sounds great"

"Great," I smiled, heading for the kitchen. I put on water for the tea, finding even the flame of the stovetop warming.

"Are you still cold?" Harry asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Oh, um, yes, a bit," I subconsciously ran a hand up my arm. Soon, it was accompanied by Harry's hand as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Would you like to go to bed?" he asked. I was about to say something witty, as that question was loaded, but Harry had let go of me and stepped back. I turned around and found why. Ron was stumbling down the stairs, still rubbing his eyes. He walked zombie-like over to the fridge, pulling out the carton of eggnog. We stayed completely silent and still. I wasn't so sure he'd even see us. _I thought too soon_.

"What're you two doing up?" he asked, holding the carton of eggnog as if it were completely normal.

"I could ask you the same question"

"I was just getting my midnight snack. You?"

"Um- tea"

"Tea? At this time of night?"

"Is eggnog any better?"

"Right," he looked down at the carton before finishing up and heading for the stairs. I was about to exhale, but he stopped. "Your water- it's done"

It was then that I realized the teapot was hissing at a high pitch, signaling that it was past ready. I turned around and turned off the heat, pouring the tea into a couple of cups. I felt my nerves calm as Ron ascended the stairs. _I guess he still doesn't know, then_.


	28. Sirius's Chest

**Take a look at my new Jenny/Harry artwork! Go to my account "deepinbloom" on deviantart! (that's deepinbloom dot deviantart dot com)**

/

Harry's POV

The feeling in my stomach might be equivalent to the feeling one would get from cliff diving. I had jumped off the edge and left my stomach far behind me, to be replaced by the adrenaline, excitement, and fear of freefall.

"Oh Harry," she sighed as she gazed at the ruby charm. As she embraced me, she cushioned my fall and I felt relief in knowing she liked it. "Can we really afford something this nice?"

"It's a gift, Jenny, don't worry about it." It's Christmas, and she's worrying about money. Whenever we're at the burrow, she's always so cautious about money. Doesn't she understand that I want to treat her while I still can?

_Maybe that's why she's reluctant._

I'm aware that Jenny shares the burden of the prophecy with me, that there's a chance that one or both of us may die. I know it takes its toll on her.

"Let's go back, it's getting late," I stood, extending my hand. She put her gloves back on before taking my hand and walking back to the burrow. Most of the lights were off; it must be later than I thought. I could see the warm glow from the living room window that someone must have left on for us to guide us home.

"Are they asleep? All of them?" she asked as we approached the door.

"I don't know… I suppose," there's always the chance someone was waiting by the fire. Once I opened the door, I saw that the room was empty. I noticed the speed that Jenny undressed, and realized that she was drenched from the snow.

"You're soaking wet," she said as I took my place next to her before the fire.

"You too," I pointed out.

"Right… Do you want a drink? I could make some tea"

"Tea sounds great"

"Great," she smiled, and I returned the gesture. She always lighted up the room with her smile, seemingly filling it with her warmth. I remember when she walked down the steps at the Yule Ball. She smiled so brilliantly that I found myself smiling like a fool, but I was a fool in love. What could be nobler than that?

I quickly found the living room to be empty in Jenny's absence, and decided to accompany her in the kitchen. She stood next to the stove, close to the hot irons to absorb the warmth.

"Are you still cold?"

"Oh, um, yes, a bit," she stammered, running a hand up her arm. I covered her hand with mine, wrapping my other arm around her to help her warm. I wish we could stay like this forever, the night was so perfect, so rare that we may never have another night like this again, alas, it was so late in the night that it may even be morning.

"Would you like to go to bed?" I said, just before I spotted Ron coming down the stairs. I let go of Jenny and took a good step back as Ron turned into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

_If we don't move, maybe he won't see us. _

I watched intently, my blood running high as he moved to the fridge. At any moment he could turn around and see us.

_Drink your eggnog and go back to bed. Don't turn this way. _

I didn't want him to see us, because I didn't want him to ask why we were down here together. Ron had never expressed any awareness of Jenny and I as a couple, and I didn't know if he knew and didn't care, or if he was in the dark. Most of all, I didn't want to have to talk about it. The closest I'd come to that was the short and extremely awkward conversation in our dorm when we talked about her skin-

"What're you two doing up?" Ron asked, derailing my train of thought. Rendered speechless, I remained silent as Jenny did the talking.

"I could ask you the same question"

"I was just getting my midnight snack. You?"

"Um- tea" I could hear her hesitation in her reply.

"Tea? At this time of night?"

"Is eggnog any better?"

"Right," he looked down at the carton before finishing up and heading for the stairs. I was about to exhale, but he stopped. "Your water- it's done"

Jenny went to turn off the tea, which was releasing a high-pitched hiss of steam. I wondered how long that had been happening. _I really need to stop getting lost in thought…_

Ironically, I found myself detached from what was happening as I was scolding myself for it. Jenny was walking toward the fireplace, settling on her knees before it.

"What are you doing?" I inquired, standing beside her to see what she was doing. She seemed to be fishing through her mokeskin pouch for something... and she found it.

"Sirius' chest!" I whispered, lowering myself onto my knees to get a better view. I reached toward it and pulled at the lid, "it's locked."

"Harry," she touched my hand. I looked at her to see she was holding a key, "patience." My eyes never left the key until it clicked in the chest, unlocking it. Anticipation ran high as she slowly opened it to find…

Photos.

I was confused, why would Sirius take such care to lock up photos? I don't know what I was hoping for, but for some reason photos weren't it. Jenny slowly reached into the chest, pulling a photo of a girl and lifting it closer to her face. I could see her hand trembling and it occurred to me that these photos were important. They were keys to his past- memories.

"It's… it's my mom," she said in a voice as soft as a snowflake. One moment it was there, floating gently through the air, but the moment it touched you, it was gone. I reached into the chest and pulled out another photo, one of Sirius and a girl; Jenny's mother.

"Harry, he was in love with her"


	29. I Will Conform

Hey everyone! So happy to be posting again. I'm in Florida, right now, on a trip to Universal Studios to go to the Harry Potter Theme Park. Sadly, I came down with the flu However, my mom rented a wheelchair and pushed me down there for a few hours. I got to enjoy the brilliant architecture and all, and I even went on the Hogwarts Forbidden Journey ride- AMAZING. Couldn't go on the real coasters, but let me tell you- it was the best thing ever. I strongly recommend going sometime in your life

"Jenny, wake up!" just as I opened my eyes, a pillow landed on my face. I groaned, casting it aside. Ginny was spewing shreds of wrapping paper about the room, eager to see what she received for Christmas. My face immediately lit up as I practically flew to the foot of my bed. A red stocking with a gold "J" embroidered on the face was hanging from my bedpost. I pulled it up and set it on my bed, pulling out the first gift. It was a large soft package that I immediately recognized as a sweater from Mrs. Weasley. It had a large golden musical note worked into the front of it. I noticed the note was backwards, but I found it even more charming that way. I pulled it on over my camisole, making my way to my next gift. It was just as large, but it wasn't made of cloth. As I unwrapped it, I found it was from the twins, filled with tricks and gags. The note attached assured me that they weren't prototypes, but I didn't take it too seriously.

At the bottom of my stocking was a small note with no signature or gift to match.

_I hope you find my gift charming and unearthing. _

"It's time for lunch, sleepy-head," Ginny said before leaving, sporting a new sweater. I hopped out of bed, following her to the dining room where everyone was wearing new sweaters (except Fleur, on whom, it appeared, Mrs. Weasley hadn't wanted to waste one). Mrs. Weasley, herself, was wearing a brand-new midnight blue witch hat glittering with star-like diamonds and a golden necklace.

"Fred and George gave them to me! Aren't they beautiful?"

"We find ourselves appreciating you more now that we have to wash our own socks," George chimed as I sat down across from Harry.

"Um, Harry, you've got a maggot in your hair," I leaned across the table and picked it out and tossed it outside. _I don't even want to know where _this_ came from. _As I was reaching to shut the window, I noticed a pair of figures approaching the house. "Mr. Weasley, could that be-"

"Arthur- It's Percy!" Mrs. Weasley's hand flew to her heart as she stared out the window. Everyone looked quickly at the window. Surely enough, Percy Weasley was striding across the snowy yard, his head of red hair more visible as he approached.

"He's with the Minister of Magic," I said, recognizing the other man from the Daily Prophet. They glanced at me as if to say _what are you staring for? Get the door._ So I shut the window, hurrying to let them in. There was a moment of painful silence before Percy nodded stiffly, "Merry Christmas, Mother"

"Oh, Percy!" Mrs. Weasley cried, throwing herself into his arms.

"You must forgive the intrusion," Rufus Scrimengeour paused in the doorway, looking around the room. "Percy and I were in the vicinity and he couldn't help but stop by and visit you all" I looked at Percy, but he didn't seem like he wanted to be here at all. He stood awkwardly, not meeting anyone's eyes. Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley were all observing him with expressions made from stone. He made no move to greet me, either, his new sister whom he had never met before. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to notice the tone of the scene, and acted as if it were some great family reunion.

"Please, come in! Sit down, we were just having lunch, we were!"

"No my dear Molly," he said as if he had only just asked Percy her name upon entering. "I don't want to intrude, but if you wish to catch up with Percy I'd be happy to go on a stroll around the yard. If someone were to show me your charming garden… ah, that young man's finished, why doesn't he come along?" Everyone turned to look from Scrimengeour to Harry. No one found it convincing that the Minister acted as if he doesn't know Harry's name, or find it natural he should choose him when Ginny, the twins, and I were all done eating.

"Yeah, all right," Harry broke the silence. I opened my mouth to speak, but Harry seemed all right with the proposal. "It's fine, really."

"Wonderful!" the Minister said, letting Harry grab his jacket and lead him outside. "We'll just be out in the garden, carry on everyone!"

We all turned to Mrs. Weasley and Percy, who looked completely odd beside each other. Things were no less awkward with the Minister absent.

"Percy, dear, this is Jenny. You remember, I told you about her in my letters"

"Pleasure," he nodded stiffly. I found it extremely awkward, everyone looking at me for my reaction. I merely nodded, not sure what else to do.

"Oh, you two! Come sit down!" Mrs. Weasley ushered me back to my seat. I examined everyone's expressions, and it was clear that they all thought Mrs. Weasley was having a delusional mother moment that she was entitled to, but they were not so naïve. It was obvious that his visit was not for his family; he was merely a tool for the Minister.

I thought about what he might want with Harry. It was probably something to do with having Harry becoming a figurehead for the ministry or some other ridiculousness that they've tried before- something to ensure the public that the Ministry is still strong.

I looked at Ginny, who seemed to be plotting something with the twins. She had that gleam in her eye-

I jumped from my seat as mashed parsnip flew about the table, landing directly in Percy's face, splattered about his horn-rimmed glasses. Laughter filled the table, soon to be condemned by Mrs. Weasley. I didn't feel it was my place to laugh, although I had heard stories of Percy's betrayal. I felt awkward, as if I was no longer part of the family. Not the one that included Percy, anyway. It wasn't long until the Minister came back and Percy stormed off with him. I could tell by their expressions that Harry hadn't conformed to them, and by Mrs. Weasley's expression that it was time to retire to my room.

I absentmindedly ran my finger over the back of my hand, the scar still solid on my skin from Umbridge's detention.

_I will conform_.


	30. Recollection

I made this chapter a little longer because I'm going on another trip- to Nashville with my choir. I'm going to get to record in the same booth Elvis did! Fun stuff. Unfortunately, I'll be missing even more school and even more of you guys! Also, do you think I should have Jenny find Michelle's Diary? Or maybe I should keep that possibility separate, and I could start another series later, which would be a collection of Michelle's diary entries… Anything's possible. I still have another year to write before I do anything else! Enjoy this chapter!

"Don't cry, Mrs. Weasley," I said as she engulfed me in a hug. She released me only to embrace Harry.

"Promise to look after each other… stay out of trouble…" she insisted as we lined up at the fire. Apparently, floo travel was allowed only in the extreme circumstances given this year.

"I'll try to keep him out of trouble," I smiled, knowing it was only a distant dream that our lives could be anything but. I released the handful of powder into the flames. I watched as Mrs. Weasley's tearful face spun out of view and McGonnogal's office appeared.

"Evening, Miss Bennett. Try not to get too much ash on the carpet" she said, not looking up from her papers. I looked down, seeing nothing but ash for at least two feet from the fireplace. It seemed as if emergency travel was quite popular, lately.

I stood to the side and waited until Ron, Harry, and Ginny were all here before leaving for the Gryffindor common room.

"Baubles," Ron said confidently to the Fat Lady, who seemed a little sickly.

"No"

"What? No?"

"There's a new password"

"But how are we supposed to know it if we've been away-"

"Harry! Jenny!" Hermione rushed towards us, her cheeks tinted pink from the cold. "I got back a few hours ago, did you have a good Christmas? Oh, hold on, password- Abstinence"

I found the password quite amusing, even compared to "baubles". Although baubles sounded sillier, abstinence stuck out as a password. Usually passwords were some obscure name or magical candy, but not anything close to "abstinence". I watched as Hermione fumbled through her pockets, finally handing a piece of parchment to Harry.

"Great, I've got loads to tell him," I knew immediately that it was from Dumbledore, "and you, let's sit down-"

"Won-Won!" Lavender appeared out of nowhere and flung herself into Ron's arms. I looked away, knowing what came next.

"Do you guys want to go sit down?"

"Yes," they said in a chorus, heading for the couch.

"So how was your Christmas?" Harry asked.

"Good, how was it at Won-Won's?"

"I'll tell you in a minute. Can't you-"

It was plain to see that Ron was not a good topic, but Harry didn't see it as plainly as I did, so I kicked him. _Not settle, but it works._

"No, I can't. Don't even ask"

"So, about Malfoy…" Harry had chosen another fabulous topic. I stayed silent as he recounted all he heard that night.

"And you, Jenny?"

"I heard different parts, Harry just told a recollection of what we both heard"

"It definitely proved Malfoy's up to something, you can't deny it"

"No, I can't," she said slowly.

"He's acting on Voldemort's orders, just like I said!"

Hermione glanced at me before continuing, "did either of them mention Voldemort's name?"

Harry frowned, "Snape said "your master" and who else could that be but Voldemort?"

"I don't know, maybe his father?" she bit her lip. Her effort was admirable. "So, how's Lupin?"

"Not great," I said quickly, glad to change the topic. I still hadn't had a chance to speak to Dumbledore. "Have you heard of Fenrir Greyback?"

"No," they said at once.

"Malfoy threatened Borgin with him, Harry. Said Greyback would be checking in on him, remember?"

"I forgot! But this proves Malfoy is a Death Eater, how else could he be telling Greyback what to do?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"Come on, Jenny! You can't get around this one!" he exclaimed, exasperated.

"It could have been an empty threat-"

"Unbelievable!" he fell back into his seat. I felt shattered, hating my position. But what could I do?

"What were you saying about Greyback, Jenny?" Hermione cut in, saving me. So I told of Lupin's past, how it tied to Greyback, and why Greyback was such a huge asset to Voldemort.

"Hermione, what's that there?" I asked, gesturing to a large sign on the wall.

**APPARITION LESSONS**

**If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen before August 31****st****, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost: 12 galleons. **

Apparently, this was the form of transportation Dumbledore used over the summer. It was quick, efficient, and easy once you knew how and where. It was a perfect skill for us to learn, what with all of our trials ahead.

I headed for the Great Hall, assuming the others would catch up when they managed to weave out of the common room. Hermione did, at least.

"Couldn't stand another moment of it," she explained vaguely, but I understood: Lavender and her excessive doting.

"Don't you think it'll be a good skill? Apparating. We have a journey ahead of us"

"I know, I've been thinking of places we could go in a pinch. Safe places where no one would think to look for us"

"I think I'm going to skip eating- I still haven't seen Dumbledore"

"Alright, do you want me to cover for you?"

"No, no, Harry will think I'm with Draco if you say anything vague. Just avoid it, I guess," I said before slipping down a flight of stairs just before it departed. Ron and Harry emerged just as my staircase connected to the hall I wanted. When I got there, I ended up at a dead end. I didn't know the current password.

Then I remembered the piece of parchment Hermione gave Harry.

"Licorice snaps" the Gargoyle obliged, allowing me to ascend to Dumbledore's office.

"Ah, Jenny, I trust you had a good holiday?"

"Yes, sir. I was hoping to talk to you before I left, but you were gone. Did you find another?"

"I think so. Is there another reason you came?"

"Yes, you see, Harry and I were at Slughorn's Christmas party when Draco came. Snape took him into the hall and we… overheard their conversation"

"Ah," he said, a twinkle in his eye showing he knew we were eavesdropping under the invisibility cloak. "And what did you hear?"

"Well, Harry and I heard different parts of the conversation, but basically Snape was trying to help Draco, saying he was being careless in what he was doing. Draco said he didn't need protection- that he was chosen. He made a promise, the Unbreakable Vow, Harry said. Draco thought Snape was trying to steal his glory. Harry's absolutely convinced that Draco's a Death Eater under orders of Voldemort… and he might be behind the necklace"

Dumbledore's long pondering pause seemed to last forever, that is, until he asked me what I thought.

"I'm beginning to think he _is_ here under Voldemort's orders, or maybe his father's"

"What do you think his orders could be?"

"Honestly, sir, I think he wants you dead. You're the only wizard Voldemort fears and that cursed necklace was supposed to go to you… Do you think it's possible, sir, to remove Draco from the picture?"

"What do you mean?"

"He could go underground- hide until this is all over. Then he wouldn't have to do anything. He's scared, sir, and I am too"

"We can offer, Jenny, but we cannot expect him to comply. Remember, you must tread carefully"

"Sir, what else could we do?"

"…Did you have any other questions, Jenny?"

"Yeah. This ring- you said only I could wear it. Is that because it won't hurt anyone if I wear it?"

"Did something happen?" he asked interestedly, leaning forward a little.

"No, it didn't, and that's just it. I don't think it can hurt anyone so long as I have it… or maybe it's because of what I did at the Gaunt Shack?" I asked, recalling how I stabbed the ring. Could the curse have been lifted, then?

"I'm not certain, Jenny, but I don't suggest testing it"

"Right… how is your hand?" I asked, noticing it looked as wrinkled and black as ever.

"Severus was able to slow the curse, but it will only consume me over a longer duration, now," he said, turning his hand for better view.

"You mean-"

"Yes, I will die. Surely you didn't think I had more than a few years left in me," he said with that familiar twinkle, almost as if it were a joke.

"I always saw you as timeless, sir"

"Like your mother, you're unfavorably kind," he said, his eyes a little watery. "I have a memory I wish to show you, Jenny. I think I'll show it to Harry, too, come tomorrow," he said, searching the vials on the shelf before selecting one. He poured the thin memory into the stone basin and I allowed myself to be emerged in it.


	31. The Eyes Reveal Everything

_I'll give you a little hint: Dumbledore showed her that memory because it's important for her individualy, not just Harry and the expedition to understand and defeat Voldemort. I'm also giving you a little peek into her mind at the end, a last-minute idea, so let me know what your reaction is! Also, i'm back from my trip and SO not looking forward to dealing with stuff I missed. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! _

_/_

I recognized the place immediately as the Gaunt Shack. It was moldy and dusty, embellished with cobwebs and grime with rust creeping over pots stacked in the sink. The only light came from a single candle at the feet of a man with hair and beard so overgrown that his face was nearly consumed by it. I wondered briefly if he was dead, seeing the state of things, but he jerked awake, wand in hand, at the sound of a knock. I recognized the glint of a blade in his other hand before I turned to see the intruder.

The door creaked open and there stood a tall, pale, dark-haired, handsome boy I soon recognized as Voldemort. His eyes moved slowly around the room before resting upon the man in the armchair. After a few moments, the man staggered drunkenly and hurtled at Voldemort.

"Stop," Voldemort hissed. _Hissed?_ There was a long silence.

"You speak it?"

"Yes, I speak it," he replied, moving forward as if there wasn't a drunken man with multiple weapons standing not three feet away.

"Where is Marvolo?"

"Dead- died years ago"

Voldemort frowned, "Who are you, then?"

"I'm Morfin"

"His son?"

"Course I am…" he said as he pushed his hair out of his face to see. I noticed he was wearing the ring around his finger. "I thought you were that muggle. You look just like that muggle-"

"What muggle?" Voldemort cut in sharply.

"That muggle my sister fancied, who lived is that big house," he gestured to the side, though there was no window or view of any house. "You look just like that Riddle, but he's older now, in't 'e? He's older'n you, now I think it…" his words slurred together the more he tried to fit in a sentence. "He left her, serves her right, that filth! Robbed us, mind, before she ran off. Where's the locket, eh, where's Slytherin's locket?"

Voldemort didn't answer. Morfin looked like he was about to charge again, shouting "dishonored us, she did! That slut!"

Voldemort moved closer, but my view darkened drastically- unnaturally. Dumbledore curled his fingers around my arm before spinning us back to his office.

"What happened? Why'd it go dark?"

"Because he couldn't remember past that. He woke up the next morning, the ring gone from his hand"

"Did Voldemort go to that house? His father's?"

"The muggle authorities found their bodies. Tom Riddle Senior and his mother and father. The muggle authorities were stumped, as Avada Kadavra doesn't leave any physical traces to the corpses. They knew of one muggle-hater, however"

"Morfin"

"Correct. It didn't help that he couldn't remember that night as an alibi, not that the muggles would believe him anyway. He's already been imprisoned for attacking one of them before. The ministry called upon him, but oddly enough he admitted to the crime. He said he was proud to have killed them and had been waiting to for years. He handed over his wand and willingly went to Azkaban"

"The ministry didn't investigate?"

"They verified that his wand was used to kill them"

"So… Voldemort used his wand? He took it, killed them, and put it back?"

"That's right, at least as far as I figure. He thought he'd killed off the entire Riddle line, as revenge. Took the ring, too. I was able to secure a visit to Morfin in the last weeks of his life, by which time I was attempting to discover as much as I could about Voldemort's past. I extracted this memory with difficulty. When I saw what it contained, I attempted to use it to secure Morfin's release from Azkaban. Before the Ministry reached their decision, however, Morfin died."

"Sir, what does this have to do with-"

"It's getting late, Jenny, and I'm sure you have to unpack. Goodnight"

"I- uh- goodnight, Professor," I stuttered, confused by his abrupt dismissal. I had told him so much, but he wasn't nearly as affected as I thought he would. I took one last glance at him, and decided I had thought too soon- for his eyes revealed everything.

/

Hermione and I sat separate from Harry and Ron, again. I hoped that Ron would have sent Hermione a gift or something for Christmas, but it seemed that nothing had changed. Harry looked at me, pleading to go for a walk. I tilted my head towards Hermione and he nodded, accepting her as well. We finished our meal and afterwards walked together. He explained the memories he saw with Dumbledore, the one I saw as well as another relating to Slughorn. Voldemort had been in the Slug Club back then, and he asked Slughorn what Horcruxes were.

"Do either of you know what Horcruxes are?" He inquired.

"Horcruxes… Horcruxes…" Hermione mumbled, racking her brain.

"It must be some sort of Dark Magic, something dangerous, or why else would Voldemort want to know about them?" I replied, trying to think of what they could be. The Horcruxes could have something to do with these weird objects Dumbledore was after, or perhaps they _were_ Horcruxes. "I think it'll be difficult to get this information, Harry. You have to think about strategy when you try to get it from Slughorn…if even Dumbledore couldn't get it…" I trailed off; thinking about how difficult it must be if the greatest wizard I knew couldn't do it.

"Ron thinks I should stay after Potions this afternoon-"

"Well, if Won-Won thinks that, then you'd better do it! After all, when has _Won-Won's_ judgment ever been faulty?"

"Hermione, can't you-"

"NO!" she heaved, storming off.

"Harry, forgiveness isn't something you can force on someone," I said, trying to make him understand, "it's like… when you saw me with Draco, didn't you feel at all like Hermione when she sees Ron with Lavender?"

I knew immediately that I had chosen a bad example. It made him understand, I guess, but it sort of switched the conversation to me. Not to mention it implies that I'm with Draco in the way Ron and Lavender are-

Ew.

"I'd better go talk to her. Later, Harry!" I waved, fleeing into the snowbanks after Hermione.


	32. Apparition

Harry's POV

Apparating by myself was no more fun than with Dumbledore. I thought maybe I could make it more pleasant, but it was equally suffocating. The Great Hall was empty of its usual tables, the only objects in it being hoops- one per student.

"Good morning," the Ministry wizard announced, his voice shallow compared to how Dumbledore's echoed through the hall. "I hope to be able to prepare you for your apparition test…"

Hermione stood not five feet from me, eyeing her hoop as students flushed in the hall and found their places. Ron had come with Lavender and was in front and a bit to the side of us while Jenny had come a bit late and had found a spot behind us.

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" Professor McGonnogal barked, causing everyone to turn their heads. Malfoy looked furious and stepped away from Crabbe, allowing me to see Jenny in the hoop behind him. As the instructor continued his speech, I found myself wondering what Malfoy had been talking about and whether or not Jenny could hear.

"The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's! Destination, Determination, and Deliberation!" the instructor's voice blended back into my consciousness. _Great- I completely missed the instructions! Assuming there were any…_

"Step one: fix your mind firmly upon the destination, which is, in your case, inside your hoop. Step two: focus your determination to occupy the space! Step three: feel your way into nothingness, moving with deliberation. On my command, now… one… two… three!"

I was shocked at being asked to apparate so quickly, and apparently, so was everyone else. Chaos broke out in the Great Hall. Most people were flat on their faces within a seconds notice.

Jenny's POV

"Hey! Watch it, Bennett!" Draco exclaimed as I toppled backwards, knocking him over.

"Sorry," I groaned, rolling off of him and offering my hand to help him up.

"I don't want your help"

"But you need it," I said boldly, a deeper meaning in my words, without retracting my hand.

"Alright, adjust your hoops please, and back to your original position," the instructor's voice droned, as if he hadn't expected any of us to land on our feet. I held my gaze, but Draco had already stood up on his own, brushing himself off. I lowered my hand, going back to my hoop.

My second attempt was no better than my first. Granted, I didn't land on top of anyone, but I didn't exactly stick the landing. There was a sudden screech of pain and I followed everyone's gaze to Susan Bones of Hufflepuff. She was wobbling in her hoop, one leg still standing five feet away. The heads of house rushed towards her, there was a puff of smoke, and she was whole again.

"Splinching, the separation of body parts, occurs when the mind isn't determined enough to apparate successfully…"

An hour later, and no one had gotten any better at apparating. No one got splinched, either, though. No one wanted it to happen to them, so they remained determined.

"Until next Saturday. Remember: destination, determination, deliberation!" he announced before disappearing with the hoops. Draco straightened his robes, stalking past me on his way out. Harry, Hermione, and Ron swarmed over to me, erupting in conversation.

"How did you do? I felt a tingling in my feet when I did it," Ron said, walking beside me.

"I expect your trainers are too small, Won-Won," Hermione strode past us, smirking. I let her go, this time.

"Well, I didn't feel much at all, although my first time I landed upside down-"

"Upside down?" Ron's eyes widened, a laugh forming in his throat.

"Yeah, I sort of tumbled down…" I decided to leave out the bit with Draco, "What about you, Harry?"

"I didn't feel anything, but I don't really care-"

"_You don't care_? Don't you want to learn how?"

"I don't really care, I prefer flying-"

"But we won't always be able to fly, Harry. Apparating is so much quicker- better for long distances and disappearing quickly. There will be times when we have no choice-" I stopped, seeing their perplexed expressions. "Nevermind."

/

The second apparition lesson, a couple more people managed to splinch themselves. Frustration was high, as success was low. I had managed to land on my feet, but never as well as I'd like. I suppose it could be considered a success, however, since I landed in the hoop.

March rolled around, as did Ron's birthday- today. Except, when I came down the stairs I didn't find the redhead.

"Where's Ron?" I asked a Gryffindor girl who was looking at me, shuffling her feet anxiously.

"Harry didn't want to wake you," she said, avoiding eye contact.

"Is he alright?"

"He's in the hospital wing-"

I left as soon as the words left her mouth. When I got there, the doors were shut and Harry was outside the door with Hermione and Ginny.

"What happened?" I heaved, catching my breath. "Why can't we go in?"

"Madame Pomfrey won't let us, said he's not ready," Hermione explained.

"Harry, how did it happen?" I turned to him, knowing he had the information.

"Last night, Ron got a hold of some chocolate cauldrons Romilda Vane spiked with love potion," I cursed silently. I should have known she'd try to give Harry something. "So we went to Slughorn, cured him, and celebrated with a drink- but it was poisoned"

"Poisoned? By who?"

"Don't know"


	33. Investigation

No one reviewed or messaged the past week! I'm hurt- deeply _deeply_ hurt.

It wasn't until evening that we managed to get in the hospital wing to see Ron. We'd all taken meal shifts, sneaking food from the kitchen and bringing it back. The house elves were generous to us, especially because we knew a couple of them.

The hospital wing was quiet, the curtains closed, and the lamp next to the only occupied bed was lit. Harry told the story again when Fred and George arrived, this time going into more detail.

"Then I got the bezoar down his throat and his breathing eased up a bit until we could get him to the hospital wing," Harry said.

"Lucky you thought of a bezoar, Harry," I said, turning cold at the thought of what would have happened had he not been able to.

"Er-my-knee," Ron mumbled. We all fell silent for the next few minutes, trying to make sense of his incoherent grumbling. Fred and George took this opportunity to take Ginny back to the common room.

"Um, Hermione?" I asked. She turned, her mind completely absent, and stared at me as if she'd just been woken from reverie. "Do you think these attacks could have been… connected?" Hermione knew I'd been investigating Draco, Harry knew I'd been doing something with him, and both thought he was behind the attacks. Still, I didn't want to talk about it as if the verdict was given- he still hadn't been proven guilty. There had been no confession.

"Well, they both ought to have been fatal and weren't, although it was all luck, in my eyes. The poison and the necklace didn't reach the person they were supposed to kill; but-" she added darkly, "This only makes it even more dangerous if the person behind this doesn't care how many people they finish off on the way to their intended victim"

Before anyone could say anything, the doors to the hospital wing burst one, causing everyone to jump. Hagrid came striding in, raindrops sparkling about his beard, his coat flapping behind him, crossbow in hand, and boots muddy as ever. He looked out of place against the rows of pristine white beds behind him.

"Been in the forest all day! Came as soon as I heard, I did! How is he?"

"They said he'd be okay," Harry explained as Hagrid came to the foot of the bed.

"I can't believe it! Who'd do something like this to Ron? It's terrible. Even with all of this security going about, kids are still getting hurt, Dumbledore's worried sick- I can tell. It's the Chamber o' Secrets all o'er again!"

"They won't shut down the school, Hagrid. We'll figure out who's doing this and put a stop to them," Harry declared. I felt like sinking into my own skin, my reaction was confirmation enough. Draco was definitely connected to all of this- but Dumbledore knows and hasn't done anything.

Our visit was cut short when Madame Pomfrey whisked us out, saying it was after hours and we should be back in our dorms. Hermione insisted she stay a few extra minutes, and Madame Pomfrey reluctantly obliged. Hagrid walked us back, his crossbow swinging beside him as if it were the most common of things to carry around.

"Yer expect accidents, with all of these underage wizards locked up together, but attempted murder, tha's different. It's no wonder Dumbledore's angry with Sn-"

"What?" Harry said quickly, "Dumbledore's angry with Snape?"

"I never said tha'," he said, his look of panic unmistakable. I felt like I should say something, but I had become preoccupied with my own thoughts. Dumbledore hadn't shown any hostility for Snape as far as I knew. Had something happened recently, or was he hiding something?

"Hagrid, why is Dumbledore angry with Snape?" Harry asked. There was no one around, but it was loud enough to frighten Hagrid.

"Shhh! Don' shout stuff like that! D'yer want me ter lose my job?"

"What's Snape done?"

"I dunno, Harry, I shouldn'ta heard it at all! I- well, I was comin' outta the forest the other evenin' and I overheard them talking, a bit hard not to- well, it was a heated discussion and it wasn' easy to block out"

"Well?" Harry urged as I tried my hardest to become a fly on the wall.

"Well- I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an maybe he didn' wan' ter do it any more-"

"Do what?" Harry cut in quickly, making sure that part was stressed.

"I dunno, Harry, it sounded like he was a bit overworked, tha's all- anyway, Dumbledore told him straight out that he'd agreed ter do it and that was all there was to it. Then he said somethin' abou' Snape making investigations in Slytherin- well, there's nothing strange abou' that!" Hagrid added hastily as Harry and I exchanged looks full of meaning, "All the heads o' houses were asked ter look inter that necklace business-"

"Yeah, but Dumbledore's not having rows with the rest of them, is he?" Harry said.

"Look," Hagrid twisted his crossbow uncomfortably in his hands; there was a loud splintering sound as it snapped in two, causing me to jump a little. "I know what yeh're like abou' Snape, Harry, an' I don' want yeh ter go readin' more inter this than there is"

"Filch," my face went pale as we were caught.

"Out after hours- this means detention!" he wheezed excitedly.

"No it won't- they're with me, aren't they? I'm a ruddy teacher, aren' I yeh sneakin' squib!" Hagrid said, holding the splinters of his crossbow in his firm grip. Mrs. Norris hissed at his ankles and I took it as my cue to leave. I grabbed Harry's arm and yanked him back, knowing he was all riled up to squeeze information from Hagrid- but this wasn't the time. We hurried down the hall, Hagrid and Filch's rising voices behind us.

Hermione intercepted us in the common room, saying she'd just gotten there herself and wanted to see us arrive before setting to bed. That was Hermione for you.

"After all Dumbledore's said, his insistence that he trusted Snape- He didn't think he tried hard enough to investigate the Slytherins… or, perhaps, to investigate a single Slytherin: Malfoy"

"Dumbledore didn't want you to do anything foolish and take matters into your own hands. You've done it so many times-"

"Nearly all of them worked out-"

"Out of sheer _luck_!"

"There you are, Potter!" a voice shouted from a dark corner. I jumped in shock and Harry whipped his wand out, pointing it towards the intruder. We hadn't been prepared for a hulking figure to rise suddenly from a distant chair. After the figure stood from his seat, the firelight revealed him as McLaggen.

"I've been waiting for you to come back- must've fallen asleep. Oh, Bennett!" McLaggen only just realized I was present, and that he had interrupted our, er, conversation.

"Good night, Harry," I said, nodding at him. He still had his wand raised as if McLaggen hadn't proven himself to not be a threat.

As I lay in bed, trying to sleep, I couldn't help but think about my conversation with Harry. My thoughts wrestles like an angry sea, trying to turn over the possibility of Draco being a cold-blooded killer. The necklace, the poison, the argument- so many things pointed towards Draco, but for some reason I couldn't accept it.


	34. Arresto Momentum

Ever since Ron had been put in the hospital wing, Lavender had been approaching me more and more often.

"Why is it that no one thought to tell _me_ that Won-Won was in the hospital wing? I mean, I _am_ his _girlfriend_!" she said as she walked beside me. I had a feeling the emphasis on _girlfriend_ was for her benefit, not mine.

"Well, I suppose we were all too busy worrying about Ron's needs- not yours. Now, if you don't mind, I have a game to play. Feel free to visit him, though- you are his girlfriend, after all," I retorted sarcastically, playing with the fact that she didn't act like she cared about him at all, and only wanted to jump his bones.

I hurried down the deserted corridors, hoping I wouldn't be late because of Lavender's pesky ranting. Everyone had already gone to the match, and I was praying my arrival time would be prompt enough for Harry. I was looking out the window as I passed, trying to gauge how much time I had when a noise made me glance up. There was Draco walking toward me, two young girls following him with sulky expressions.

Both Draco and I stopped short upon eye contact. He remained silent while I caught my breath, trying to make sense of the situation. I had so many questions, but only one left my mouth.

"Sick again, Draco?" I don't know whether I came off as concerned or snide, but his response seemed to reflect from the latter.

"Like it's your business, Bennett," he sneered, "Besides, you don't have much time. You wouldn't want to keep your boyfriend waiting."

I failed to respond, as he predicted, and so he moved forward, slightly pushing past me. The two girls followed suit in a trot, turning the corner and disappearing from view. I stood there, baffled, before remembering that I was in a hurry.

"Where have you been?" Harry demanded as I sprinted into the changing rooms. Everyone was changed and ready- except me.

"Sorry- Lavender was interrogating me about Won-Won," I informed, pulling my scarlet robes over my head before grabbing my broom and following everyone onto the pitch.

"You'll want to fly out of the sun so they don't see you coming-" McLaggen instructed the team, directing this toward the team, Coote and Peakes especially.

"I'm the captain, McLaggen, so shut up and get by the goal posts!" Harry growled, visibly ticked at Cormac. Good thing he sent him off, too, because he was working my last nerve…

Harry's POV

The game was going… not so well. I still hadn't caught sight of the snitch, and Jenny kept looking towards the castle, almost as if she were looking for something- or someone. It was starting to make me paranoid and I didn't like that at all.

"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," a dreamy voice cooed, echoing over the grounds. "Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor before the match, I expect he regrets that now that he's playing- oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle; Jenny took it from him. I do like her, she's very nice, but she's mean when she's on the pitch…"

At least Jenny was having some luck so far. With two Hufflepuffs closing in on her, she dropped the Quaffle to Ginny, who escaped their paths and managed to get around them.

"Ginny's got the Quaffle from Jenny, now. It seems the two work together quite nicely: Jenny and Ginny. It's quite fun to say; Jenny and Ginny, quite a tongue twister…"

Ginny managed to lose the ball and the other team flew it towards our goal posts.

"Now that Hufflepuff player has the Quaffle from her. I can't remember his name, it's something like Bubble- Bibble- no, Buggins-"

"It's Cadwallader!" Professor McGonnogal shouted from beside Luna, obviously having second thoughts about choosing her to narrate the game. The crowd laughed, however, I hardly struck a smile. I was staring around for the snitch, distressed that there was still no sight of it. Suddenly, the red ball soared past my right ear.

"Pay attention to the game and leave everyone else alone, McLaggen!" Harry bellowed, wheeling around to face him.

"You're not setting a great example!" McLaggen shouted back, red-faced and furious.

"And now Harry Potter's having an argument with his Keeper," Luna said, causing a roar of applause in the Hufflepuff and Slytherin stands. "I don't think that will help him find the Snitch, but maybe it's a clever ruse…"

Cursing angrily, I spun back around and continued my scan of the skies. It wasn't long before McLaggen pulled another stunt.

"Oh, look! The Gryffindor Keeper's got hold of one of the Beater's bats!" Luna exclaimed, turning the topic off of the clouds and onto the game.

Jenny's POV

After I passed the Quaffle to Ginny, I turned to see what the commotion was with Harry and McLaggen. It seemed like McLaggen had Peakes' bat and was trying to show him how to hit. I watched as McLaggen hit a bludger that was sailing past him. The bat made contact with the bludger, careening in Harry's direction. I found myself screaming his name as the bludger struck his head, sending him plummeting toward the ground. Suddenly, the game faded into a distant part of my mind. The only thing that mattered was that Harry was caught before he made impact with the ground.

Coote and Peakes dove into action, racing toward Harry. It would be close, if they got to him at all, which wasn't good enough. Harry's momentum was too great for them to reach him in time. I outstretched my arm, directing my hand at Harry as he fell. It was time to try wandless magic: _Arresto Momentum_.

My field test seemed to be successful, as Harry slowed enough for them to catch him and lower him to the ground. I gripped the neck of my broom and dipped down to the ground beside them. The ground felt welcoming to my feet as I realized the exertion seemed to have taken its toll on me, but it was hardly a priority.

Coote and Peakes had lowered Harry to the ground, his wound staining the grass. I reached forward, trying to see how bad the wound was, but the blood was making it near impossible. By this time, the professors had gathered and the game was at a complete standstill as everyone waited for the verdict.

"He has to be taken to the hospital wing. Quickly, quickly," Professor McGonnogal ordered.

"Coote, Peakes- be careful," I added, disquieted by his state.

"Go with them, Miss Bennett. Make sure to tell Madame Pomfrey what happened as you saw it," she gestured for me to go. I nodded, standing up and following Coote and Peakes as they carried Harry away. "Not you, McLaggen," McGonnogal said, making me turn back. What could _he_ possibly want? I shot him a glare that said _consider yourself lucky_.


	35. A Happy Bit Of News

To those who are reading this on my fanfiction account, I'm sorry for the long wait. Fanfiction had some sort of glitch and I couldn't figure out how to get around it for the longest time :/ Anyway, hopefully this exciting little chapter will make up for it! As for my Quizilla readers- an extra treat! :)

/

Madame Pomfrey flew toward Harry like a magnet when I opened the door to the hospital wing.

"Merlin! What happened?" she said, leading them to an empty bed beside Ron.

"He was hit in the head with a bludger," I said ruefully as Madame Pomfrey tended to his wounds. I noticed Ron was awake, watching as Madame Pomfrey cleaned off Harry's head to reveal a large crack in his skull. Peakes and Coote stood awkwardly to the side. Now that their job was done, they felt out of place.

"You two can go, he'll be alright, now," I nodded, sending them away. I sat down on the edge of Ron's bed and watched Madame Rosmerta wrapped Harry's head.

"I could hear Luna's commentary from here. Harry was angry with McLaggen, eh? What did he do?" He asked, his voice bright with excitement. I pursed my lips bitterly- how could Ron be excited when his best friend was lying next to him with a hole in his skull?

"He was trying to show Peakes how to properly hit a bludger. Ironically, McLaggen was the one who hit Harry," his name was like poison to my lips, wishing I had the opportunity to sock him in the face. "Which reminds me- how can you be so concerned with McLaggen when your best friend is bleeding on a cot next to you?" I huffed. It seems he concluded that a lack of response was the best response, and remained silent.

After it seemed Madame Pomfrey's treatment was done, I moved to sit on Harry's bed. "He'll be alright, won't he, Madame?"

"Oh, he'll be fine. He just needs some rest, now. Much like yourself, in fact"

"I'm fine," _or at least I will be, once I see Harry is._

"Are you sure you don't want to wash up? I have a sink in the back"

At that moment, the doors opened and Lavender strode in. I turned back to Ron, who seemed to have suddenly fallen asleep.

"If you want to end it, now's your chance," I whispered, following Madame Rosmerta to the back room.

"It's near curfew, make sure you and that other girl leave soon," she said, cleaning up her own hands. I waited patiently a few feet away, trying to hear what was happening in the other room. I couldn't make out words, but it didn't sound like a friendly conversation. "And tell that girl to keep it down," she added reprovingly.

"I will, Madame. I can close up for the night, too, if you'd like," I offered.

"Oh, that'd be lovely! The curtains need to be closed, Mr. Potter will need a glass of water in case he wakes in the night, and shut the doors on the way out"

"Will do," I nodded, moving to wash my hands as she left for her room. When I opened the door, I crossed the threshold into dangerous territory of breakups.

Thankfully, Lavender stormed out when she saw me coming. Ron seemed to be asleep again, and somehow Harry managed to stay asleep through it all.

"Ron? You okay?" I asked as I set a glass of water by Harry's bed.

"Yeah… Bloody glad to be shot of her, really"

"I'll be back tomorrow morning before class," I flicked my wand, drawing in the curtains until the only light came from the hall until I shut the door behind me.

/

Harry's POV

The last thing I remembered was a blind sickening pain… a flash of light… and a distant scream. It wasn't the same scream as with the dementors… it wasn't my mother's… It was more familiar… lighter… but not any less distraught.

Now, a remarkable contrast, I was lying in a warm and comfortable bed, looking up at a lamp that was casting a ring of golden light onto the shadowy ceiling. I turned to my left and saw a familiar, freckly, red-haired person.

"Nice of you to drop in," he grinned.

I blinked, looking around. Of course! I was in the hospital wing. Everything made sense now. I'd been at the match when…

"What happened?"

"Cracked skull," he replied, "I could hear Luna's commentary from in here. Said you and Mclaggen were having a row on the pitch-"

"I'll kill him," I said with a sudden anger.

"Don't waste your breath. By the looks of Jenny, I'd say he's been dead for hours"

I just looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Coote and Peakes carried you in here with Jenny-" he started, sending my imagination soaring. I pictured Jenny at my bedside, holding my hand with a tearful expression as Ron gave us his blessing. "She was hopping mad, she was," he continued, my mind's eye imploding, "If she didn't know you'd be alright- I don't even want to think about what she'd do," his face twisted, as if he'd envisioned her going on a rampage. I felt a roar of triumph in my chest at the news, almost pushing McLaggen from my mind. Almost.

"What was the final score?"

"Three hundred and twenty to sixty," he said apologetically, "Sorry, mate"

"Brilliant," I said savagely, "Bloody brilliant! When I get a hold of him-"

"You don't want to get a hold of him- he's the size of a bloody troll. Besides, Jenny's probably gotten to him already. If by some turn of fate she's taken mercy on him, I doubt the rest of the team will. They're not happy either"

At least I had that happy bit of news.

/

Naturally, the moment I returned from the hospital wing, Hermione swarmed me with her concerns.

"How is he? Will he be okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be released tomorrow morning… and Ron"

"Oh, well that's great news…" she seemed a little unsettled by Ron's release.

"Hermione"

"Yeah?" she lifted her head to its proper place.

"Lavender came while I was there"

"Oh, did she?" I couldn't tell if she was more upset, curious, or aloof in her reaction.

"They've broken up"

As you can imagine, Hermione's spirits lifted quite a bit from this information. I found her smirking to herself quite often, even into the morning, although she put on her poker face in front of the boys.

"It's good to see you two up and about again! Anyone fancy a spot of breakfast?" Hermione greeted the boys as we saw them out of the hospital wing.

"Do you even have to ask?" I laughed, knowing Ron was always open for more food. However, the boys seemed a little off. Ron hadn't replied to Hermione's question, however, he didn't laugh. Harry seemed to be keeping to himself more than usual.

"So how is McLaggen?" Ron asked.

"Oh… I don't think he'll be playing quidditch anymore-" I stopped suddenly when Harry choked on his drink. _Oh, bloody hell! It's not like I dismembered him or anything! Honestly, those two! _

"What- er-" Ron asked nervously, having the same conclusion as Harry.

"Honestly, it's not like I lost my marbles. I approached him in a completely rational manner…

_Jenny marched up to McLaggen with an expression of anything but serenity. The team, realizing this, started toward them. Before McLaggen could say anything, she swung her fist and struck him square in the nose. _

"_That was for Harry," she said, watching him straighten up, his face a bit too surprised for her liking. How could he have expected anything less? _

"_And _this_," she slugged him again, "is for the team!" _

_She straightened up, relaxing her fist in half-hearted satisfaction. Honestly, she thought he deserved more, but she reasoned not to land herself a detention on his behalf. He wasn't worth it. _

"I wish I'd seen it," Ron said, his eyes glazing over as if he were picturing it as a movie. I could honestly imagine him watching it, a bag of candy in his hand as he stared in awe.

"I bet you were brilliant, based on your track record," Harry cracked a smile. I remembered, too, that he was referring to when I'd slugged Dudley last summer. Ah, the good times.


	36. Sectumsempra

Guess what? I got into the ROX concert! I also found out, on the same day, that I made it into the Invisible Children's Benefit Concert for children in Uganda! To top it all off- I'm in the school's award-winning creative arts magazine- Noesis! This chapter isn't exactly happy- but I am! :D

/

After breakfast, Luna approached me with a piece of parchment rolled up and tied closed.

"I was told to give this to you," she said, in her usual dreamy state, holding some form of an onion in her hand. At least- it looked like an onion…

"Thank you, Luna," I smiled, opening the scroll and reading it as Luna skipped off.

"What is it?" Harry asked, walking up behind me.

"Dumbledore wants to meet again, tonight"

But I never did go.

Adrienne had returned from St. Mungo's and all of my plights had temporarily left my mind.

"Adrienne!" I engulfed her in a hug.

"Jenny!" she seemed elated to see me as well.

"How are you?" I asked, hoping she was as well as she seemed.

"I'm fine now, everyone's been asking me since I got back. I swear half of them have never talked to me before I became the focus of gossip. I'm almost as famous as you, now!"

"Haha," I rolled my eyes, just happy that she was back. "So… do you remember anything?" I asked, hoping I wasn't hitting a sore spot with the question.

"No," she shook her head ruefully; "I don't remember anything after leaving to go to the bathroom"

"You don't remember going into the bathroom?"

"Well, I remember going up to the door, but I guess someone Imperiused me just after that. I don't remember anything up until when I woke up in St. Mungo's a couple of weeks ago. Hey, I think your boyfriend's preparing an interrogation for me down the hall. I'd better go now if I have hopes of getting to class on time. The teachers won't go easy on me even though it's my first day back"

"Alright," I said as she gathered her books and hurried down the hall to get her anticipated conversation with Harry over. I bit my lip, shifting my feet as my mind succumb to the fact that Adrienne had no idea who Imperiused her.

_But I do._

I pulled out my wand, swishing it by my side and welcoming a cool trickle running down my back. My feet padded up the stairs, weaving carefully around Dean as he pounded down the steps, racing to get to class. I swept into the room; glad to see it was empty, as everyone was either at class or rushing to it. I went to Harry's bedside, but it was empty. Temporarily stumped, my eyes scanned for places he could have hidden it. I checked the most obvious: under his pillow. Sadly, I found it there- the most predictable place to hide something. He would have been better off pretending it was spare parchment on his bedside table.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," I tapped the parchment with my wand. I opened it, my eyes searching ardently. There it was, the small dot glued to the name Draco Malfoy. I fold the map up and shove it under his pillow, bolting toward the door. I stopped suddenly, holding my breath as I passed Harry. I began to pray that he hadn't seen me, but then I remembered that I am currently invisible and relax. The worst that could have happened was that he heard me catch my breath, which he could easily have mistaken for a creaky floorboard or his imagination.

I stopped outside the bathroom door, listening for signs that Draco was still inside. I heard nothing, but opened the door quietly just in case.

Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to me, his hands clutched on either side of the sink, his head bowed as he shook.

_Is he… crying?_

It was then that I saw tears streaming down his pale face and falling into the sink and my feet surprised me and started moving toward him while my mind remained in shock.

"I know it was you, Draco. You have to let me help you…" I crooned gently.

"No one can help me," his whole body shaking, "I can't do it. I can't. It won't work unless I do it soon… he'll kill me"

A hot trickle down my back let me know I was no longer invisible.

"I won't let this happen again, Draco. You have to-" It seemed by presence only just became apparent to him, and this alarmed him. He raised his head and, upon seeing me, wheeled around, drawing his wand, then sent my wand flying across the room. My jaw nearly dropped in disbelief- did he think I was going to attack him? It was then that I realized that we were not alone either.

Spells flew back and forth between Harry and Draco, and I was helpless to do anything about it. The spells were so close to hitting him. So close.

"Stop it!" I yelled, hoping some urgency in my voice would convince them to lower their wand. Of course, they had no sense to me when they were dueling. I racked my brain, trying to remember where my wand flew. I searched the floor, my hands fishing in the inch-deep puddle that was slowly consuming my feet. I could hear crashing and explosions behind me and I knew I had to hurry.

I turned around in time to see Harry slip and fall in the water, Malfoy's wand rising with a particularly cruel spell on his tongue.

"Cru-"

I snapped my arm out, immediately disarming Draco so that his spell wouldn't be finished. Alas, he was not the only one who was prepared to raise the stakes.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Harry bellowed from the floor.

Blood spurted from Draco's chest as though someone had slashed him repeatedly with a sword. He staggered backwards and fell onto the floor with a splash, his whimpers now filled with both emotional and physical pain. I rushed toward them, turning from Harry and dropping to my knees beside Draco as he bled incessantly, showing no signs of stopping.

"Harry! Harry _do something!_" I pleaded, recognizing that Draco might very well bleed out. What kind of forbidden spell had Harry cast? I felt my own heart race as Draco began shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood. "HARRY!" I shouted with urgency, realizing that he hadn't moved at all, his face still frozen as it was when he first saw Draco fall.

Suddenly, the door banged open behind Harry and Snape burst into the room, a livid expression on his pale face. He pushed past Harry and immediately knelt on Draco's other side, tracing over the slashes with his wand and muttering an incantation that almost sounded like a song.

"_Vulnera Sanentur… Vulnera Sanentur…"_ I watched in awe as Draco's wounds seemed to heal, or at least the flow of blood slowed to a near stop. "Miss Bennett, take Mr. Malfoy and clean him up. Repeat the spell and take him to the hospital wing for some dittany straight away to deter scarring."

I did not make any indication that I understood, other than moving to help Draco get up. I moved in a daze, only following orders, as if I were a mere shell of what I had been. As I draped Draco's arm over my shoulder, I began near dragging him from the room, although he did seem to catch on and try to support himself.

"Bring me your potions book, Potter" Snape snarled as I left the room.

People stared at Draco and I as we walked down the corridor, as we were soaked with water and blood. Questions were shot at me from people of all houses, but I ignored all of them and made a beeline for the hospital wing. When I got there, I immediately ran into Madame Pomfrey and told her to fetch some dittany by order of Professor Snape. She scurried off as I cleared the blood from him using _Tergeo_.

"_Vulnera Sanentur_" The words came out like a low lullaby as I traced the red lines on his chest, which had only minutes ago been expelling blood. Madame Pomfrey returned with the dittany and I stepped back, giving her space to work. For a brief moment, I considered an alternate situation where Draco was on his deathbed. The guilt struck and I turned to head back to the common room to find Harry. Something like this couldn't happen again.


	37. Catalyst

When I reached the common room, Hermione immediately flew to my side.

"Is that _blood?_ Jenny- what happened?"

"Bloody hell! Not you, too!" Ron appeared at my side, "Did you and Harry get in some sort of fight? Or did you have a go at the whomping willow?"

"Of course they weren't in a fight, Ronald! How plausible would that be?"

"Not ten minutes ago, Harry comes running in here and takes my potions book, drenched in blood. Now, Jenny comes sulking in covered in blood, too? What am I supposed to think, Hermione? That they were studying potions under the whomping willow?"

"Of course, not, that would be ridiculous-"

"It's Draco" I cut in.

"Malfoy? I swear, if he hurt you, I'll-"

"He didn't hurt me"

"Harry?"

"No"

"Come on, we should get you washed up," Hermione said, motioning toward our dorm. I stood up, following her in the same manner I did Snape's directions: lethargically.

/

Hermione took me to our dorm; she even started the shower for me when she saw I was in no mood to do it myself. She left the bathroom; I could hear her feet pad against the floor as she walked away.

I had no idea how good the water would feel against my skin. The blood that had painted my skin red now washed off with the water, taking tears with it.

What would have happened if Draco had finished his curse? I would have had to watch Harry go through that pain. I don't think I could bear it.

No.

I've seen that pain before. Last year. Before that, even.

He's always in pain. He's suffered more than most could fathom. The difference is, I've suffered too. I share pain on a level much closer to him than Ron or Hermione ever could. One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life. That word is _love_.

/

Harry's POV

"Well I can't say I didn't see this coming-" Hermione began, not bothering to hide her self-righteousness.

"Give it a rest, Hermione!" Jenny said, alerting us to her presence as she came down the stairs. Her hair was still damp, leaving her hair to curl and cling to her skin. She didn't seem to care, as she walked toward us with a determined face. I was so relieved, so amazed, and so grateful that I nearly ran from my seat to hug her. "Draco was going to use an Unforgiveable Curse on him. Just be glad he's alright"

"Well, of course I'm glad Harry wasn't cursed!" Hermione defended, stung by Jenny's words. Ron and I gaped at them; Jenny and Hermione who had been best friends from the start were actually arguing. Ron looked nervously at me before snatching up a book at random and hiding behind it.

"Harry," Jenny said firmly, and I turned back to her, "where is the book?"

"The room of requirement," I dared not tell her it was because I thought Snape would be looking for it, but I could imagine she came across the possibility already. From her expression, I could tell she didn't want me to go back for it later.

The next day, Slytherins had already heard word of what had happened and were taunting mercilessly. Not to mention the anger from my fellow Gryffindors, who were furious that I had gotten myself banned from the final match of the season. I assured them that Jenny would be a fine seeker, she'd led them to a win before, but that didn't seem to help. Compared to Snape's dreadful detentions, I'd give all of the felix felicis in the world to be on the quidditch pitch instead.

Detention was, as I had anticipated, useless, boring work with the occasional jolt in the stomach from sorting through files of my father or Sirius' names, usually coupled together for various petty misdeeds. I looked up at the clock, which seemed to be ticking much slower than usual. Perhaps Snape had enchanted it for extra torment.

"I think that will do for today. Mark your place, you will continue next week"

Without a word, I hurried out of the room before he could change his mind. The game would be over by now, surely. All that I could do was go to the common room and hope that I would find a celebration and not an angry mob with broomsticks and heavy bats.

The Fat Lady swung aside, revealing a roar of celebration. Several hands pulled me into the room, and people began screaming when they saw me. My eyes searched the crowd, looking for one particular person. She made it easy to find her, as she was blazing toward me.

"We won!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me. Without a second thought, without thinking about the fact that fifty people were watching, without worrying about Ron, I kissed her. It was like the first rays of sun in the morning, lighting up the starry skies. In that moment, nothing mattered except me and her and that we were together.

/

Harry's POV

"You still got detention with Snape this Saturday?" Ron asked casually. Nothing had changed since the kiss- Ron was still my best mate and I was still with Jenny.

"Yeah, and the Saturday after that… and the Saturday after that," I sighed, "and he's hinting that if I don't finish sorting all of those files by the end of the term, we'll continue next year"

I could tell that Jenny wasn't happy at the news. I wondered if she was starting to see Snape for whom he really is. Maybe Snape was drawing out detentions to limit the time I get to spend with Jenny, making pointed asides about me having to miss the good weather and the various opportunities that it offered.

I was drawn back to reality when I realized Peakes standing before me with a bit of parchment in hand. "Thanks Jimmy…" I opened the paper with earnest, reading it quickly, letting the words sink in.

_Harry, _

_Come to my office immediately. I can only take one- and it will be dangerous. _

"What is it? Is it from Dumbledore?" Jenny asked, about to try to read over my shoulder.

"Ah- I have to go" I crumpled up the paper, tossed it into the fireplace, and hurried out of the common room.

/

Jenny's POV

"What was that rubbish?" Ron asked, obviously baffled at Harry's sudden leave.

"I don't know," I said, tearing my eyes from the portrait hole and turning to the fire. I watched as the bit of parchment cracked and curled under the oppressive flames, burning it until it was nothing but ash.

Not twenty minutes later, Harry returned in a rushed pace. We all stood from our seats, sensing his urgency.

"What did Dumbledore want?" Hermione asked, taking a shot at who sent the letter. Of course, who else would send it? The real question being; why was Harry so secretive about the letter? What did it say?

"Harry, are you ok?" I asked anxiously. Something was wrong.

"I'm fine," he blurted, racing past us and running up the stairs to his dorm. We all took one look at each other, exchanging the same questioning looks. A moment later, Harry flew down the stairs, skidding to a halt before us.

"I haven't got the time to explain," he panted, "Dumbledore thinks I'm getting my invisibility cloak. Listen…"

He told us how Dumbledore thinks he found another horcrux, how he's going with him to try to get it, and how we can't come along.

"…so you see what this means? Dumbledore won't be here, so Malfoy's going to have another clear shot at whatever he's trying to get at. No- listen to me!" he hissed angrily, sensing we were going to interrupt. His words stung like arctic waters splashing against me in heavy waves. "Here-" he shoved the Marauder's Map into Hermione's hands. "You've got to watch him and you've got to watch Snape, too. Use anyone you can rustle up from the DA. Dumbledore says he's used extra protection for the school, but Snape's got to know how to avoid it- but he won't be expecting you lot to be on watch, will he?"

"Harry-" why did he sound so grave?

"Take it," he said, handing me the vial of felix felicis, some of the elixir still remaining from its previous use.

"Harry, this is-" _the last of his luck… _"Harry, you have to take it"

"I'll be fine, I'll be with Dumbledore. Besides, I can't leave unless I know you'll be safe." Why was he looking at me like that? It was as if this was the last time we ever saw each other.

"I have to go"

And he was gone.

"What do we do? Jenny!" for once, Hermione looked frightened. She must have seen how Harry and I had looked at each other.

"We fight," I said, my voice surprisingly even and calm. I took a sip of the Felix Felicis and handed it to Hermione. "Drink this- both of you," I watched, making sure they both took enough.

"Ron, make sure everyone in the DA knows something's up. Tell them not to go to bed until I give them word. Hermione, keep your eyes glued to that map. Do as Harry said. Let me know if anything changes. Do you know how to send messages with your patronus?"

She nodded, both of them looking at me grimly.

"And what about you, Jenny?" Hermione asked carefully.

"I'm going to find him," I didn't need to tell them who I was talking about. The manner of which I said it let them know I was going after Draco Malfoy. There was nothing left to lose, no reason to hide it anymore. Something disastrous was on the horizon, and there was no doubt that Draco Malfoy was the catalyst.

Hermione opened up the Marauder's Map, smoothing out on the table while Ron ran off. She searched the grounds, looking for Draco Malfoy. I stood over her, spotting his name.

"There," I declared, turning to leave the common room. I strode as quickly as I could without looking too out of place. I soon gave up being discreet and bolted down the halls.

"Miss Bennett!" Professor McGonnogal barked as I ran past her. I stopped, catching my breath, and looked up at her.

"Make sure all of the students are in their houses, Professor," I warned gravely, watching her face turn to an expression of understanding.

"Get to your houses- no doddling!" she ordered, sweeping the halls for wandering students. I continued my run, hoping he hadn't moved far from his initial position. If my hunch was correct, I knew exactly where he was going.

The Room of Requirement.


	38. Hanging In The Balance

I hope Hermione's eyes are glued to that map, because she'll be able to know what's happening and warn the others. I hope Harry's hunch was wrong, and nothing bad was going to happen. Most of all, I hope we all get out of this alive.

When I reached the Room of Requirement, I paced around it three times before it finally opened. Draco was nowhere in sight, he had either left or was inside.

I guess I'd find out.

I opened the door, walking carefully through the path and around piles of miscellaneous items until I found him. There he stood- Draco Malfoy- before the cabinet. A cabinet just like the one in Borgin and Burke's.

Harry was right all along.

"Draco- _do not do this_." I said firmly, making him jump at my presence.

"I have to," he said, his face showing no malice or spite. He looked genuinely frightened for his life. _He doesn't want to do it._ There's still a chance.

"Draco," I struggled to find a gentle tone when all I wanted to do was scream. "I can protect you and your mother"

"There's nothing you can do"

"I can have someone from the Order relocate you and your mother- immediately. Don't-"

It was too late.

I watched in horror as the lock on the cabinet slowly turned until a soft _click_ sounded, signaling the beginning of bloodshed.

My wand was up and pointing straight at the lock, my hand gripping tightly as a billow of black smoke came from the opening. Death eaters began forming and Draco began backing up until be was behind me. _Does he expect me to protect him?_

"What is _this_?" Bellatrix Lestrange cackled with amusement as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"She looks delectable," Fenrir Greyback materialized from the smoke, stalking toward me. I shot a spell at him, which he deflected with an entertained expression.

"No," said another death eater, forming quickly from the smoke. My eyes widened when I saw his face. It was my father. "Remember the mission. Go, Draco," his eyes flicked at him and back to Greyback. It was then that he noticed me. "Go on, I won't be long," he stared down at me. I glared, my wand pointed directly at him. They started moving past me and I tried to move to stop them, but I was immobilized. _What's wrong with me? Did someone freeze me? _I tried to recall someone shooting a spell at me. Surely, I would have seen it and tried to block it, but I hadn't. _Someone either used wandless magic or Draco did this from behind me. _

I was infuriated at whoever did this, but mostly at myself as I let the bloodthirsty death eaters walk past me to complete their mission- which I'm sure wasn't to deliver flowers.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked, walking toward me. Anger swelled within me, mixing with fear as he came closer… "Aren't you going to do it? This is what you've been waiting for, isn't it? This is your chance. Even now, you can feel it pulsing within you. You thirst for it- you _crave_ it- and it's in your hands."

He was right: the dark malicious intent pulsed through my veins. I tried desperately to block him out, wishing I could pull one of the twins' smoke bombs out and run, but I couldn't. I couldn't do a thing.

"You're weak- pathetic" he spat in my ear. My knuckles turned white, clenched around my wand, fighting the urge to do it. _He deserves it… No good deed can undo what evils he's committed. _"If only your mother could see you now. How ashamed she'd be-"

"Shut up," I snapped, turning to face him, finally able to confront him.

Just as I turned, a dark billow twisted into the air in a loathsome tendril. I cursed, knowing I'd wasted my time, that the death eaters could have killed someone by now.

My feet pounded against the cold stone floor, hardly audible behind the sound of blood rushing through me. As I grew closer to the Great Hall, screams and crashes came to a crescendo. It wasn't long before I came across multiple battles, stray curses bouncing off of walls, making their victims random hits. I immediately cast _protego_ as I pounded through the hall. There was blood- _lots_ of blood. I immediately spotted a small boy with his wand out creeping toward the great hall. _He shouldn't be out here. He's too young to fight a death eater._

The boy tried to stop a death eater from entering the great hall with _impedimenta_, but failed as the death eater swatted him back like a fly.

"No!" I ran toward him, sending the death eater flying at the opposite wall in return. I ran over to see the boy was Dennis Creevey, an avid member of Dumbledore's Army, but a third year nonetheless. I remembered how he had spent weeks trying to perfect _impedimenta_, finally accomplishing it after sending books flying off of their shelves. He was conscious, but his arm was twisted back, angled painfully away from his body.

"Dennis- what were you thinking? Get out of here- go to the hospital wing," I ushered him, helping him to his feet while avoiding his arm. He let out a short yelp of pain before opening his eyes to find his balance. I sent him running from the scene, positive that he wouldn't come back with a broken wand arm. _He's going to get himself killed one day, reckless kid._

I heard a loud growl, reminding me that there were not only death eaters here, but also Fenrir Greyback. I looked around, hoping to catch him in my sight, an image of him chasing little Dennis down the hall. Alas, he was not in the corridor, but in the Great Hall.

The battle raged between the DA, teachers, and death eaters. I didn't even know where to start- I couldn't tell who was fighting whom. The ceiling roared behind me as part of the corridor collapsed and crumbled to the ground.

"It's time to go!" someone shouted- a familiar voice. I ran to the hall to see who was shouting and saw Snape disappearing around a corner, Malfoy close behind him. He wasn't the only one I recognized; Harry was chasing them. I watched in horror as Fenrir Greyback left the fleeing group and tackled Harry to the ground.

"_Petrificus Totalus_!" I shouted, stopping Greyback before he could bite Harry. Before I could go make sure he was alright, a death eater shot a green spell past me. There weren't many that were green, and this made my heart jump- but it also made my wand pulse in my hand. With a quick whip-like movement, I turned and shot a spell at the death eater. I found Neville on the ground, his face as pale as the stone floor against his cheek, defenseless. I stood in front of him, ready to protect him at all costs.

"Neville, are you okay?"

"I'll be alright…" he muttered as I parried with the lumpy death eater. "Snape… Malfoy… they ran by"

"I know," my brow creased in concentration as I tried to counter the attacks.

"_Crucio_… _crucio_…" he giggled, enjoying the sport, "You can't dance forever, pretty-"

"_Impedimenta!_" Harry yelled, hitting the death eater square in the chest. He squealed in pain, was lifted from the floor and slammed into the opposite wall, sliding down it near Ron, McGonnogal, and Lupin, who were all fighting death eaters. I turned and found Harry running toward me, "Jenny- you're alive" he engulfed me in a hug, a moment of comfort submerged in chaos.

"Harry, what's happened? What was their mission? Who was it that they-" my throat caught before I could say _killed_.

"Dumbledore. It was Snape. It was always Snape"

I felt as if the corridor ceiling had crumbled onto me, burying me in the rubble. How could this happen? Snape, who Dumbledore was _so sure_ was good. Snape, who had repeatedly saved Dumbledore's and my lives. Snape, whom I had trusted and defended from accusations. Accusations that turned out to be true in the worst possible way- and now Dumbledore was gone.

"Harry- _Snape!_" I shouted over the chaos, reminding him that only minutes ago Snape and Malfoy had ran out of sight. _We'll have to book it to catch them_. He nodded, turning to follow their path, dodging spells. We skidded around the corner, slipping on the blood-coated floors. I soon saw the source of the blood, seeing as two bodies lay motionless on the floor. With so much blood lost, they were surely dead. It was difficult to be running from the turmoil, with the bangs and screams calling out to us from behind, begging for help. It was heart clenching to leave them in search of vengeance and justice when we could return and possibly save lives that were hanging in the balance.

_I have to turn back. I have to help them._ My mind urged me, but my heart was telling me to go with Harry, for if he needed me I had to be there. If Harry were to be the one whose life hanged in the balance, I need to be there to catch him. I would never forgive myself if something happened to him.

"This way!" I shouted, turning abruptly into a neighboring corridor. Harry spun to keep up with me, spells shooting after us and terrorizing the paintings. There were death eaters following us, trying to catch us before we could catch up to Snape and Malfoy. I turned enough to get a view of what was behind me, and I decided to animate a suit of armor to try to stop our pursuers. It seemed to have slowed them, but as I turned back I realized something had exploded in front of me. I felt Harry intercept me before I ran straight into its path, and we stumbled back into balance before continuing our chase. _At least I got rid of those two._


	39. Eyes On Fire

As we ran into another corridor, the floor was stained red, but not by blood. The rubies from the Gryffindor hourglass had been spilled onto the floor when the glass was hit with a spell. I found myself slipping in many of my steps, but I found that if I held steady, the rubies were less likely to roll and more likely to spit out behind me like pellets.

The cold night air ripped at my lungs as we left the school and tore across the grass. A flash of light in the distance told us that we were getting close. Then, after a few more jets of light and yelling, I realized that Hagrid's hut was under attack. I watched as it burst into flames, lighting the night sky and illuminating the fleeing dark figures.

_Not Hagrid… not Hagrid too…_

My feet pounded against the grass, pulling me toward the flames. _Impervius!_ My mind screamed just before I dove into the flames. Thankfully, the spell worked before I entered the burning hut. _Where is he… he's not here!_ _He must have seen the dark mark and gone into the castle. _A loud yelp- a howl of pain- sounded from the far corner.

"Fang!" I pounded through the hut, the flames licking hungrily at my skin, but were not allowed to consume, only taste. "_Aguamenti!"_ I shouted, dousing him with water and extinguishing the hot flames. I drew a path to the door and grabbed his collar, tugging him toward it. His fur was charred and black, but he could still move. Even in the heat of the moment- no pun intended- he was as lazy as ever and took slow heavy steps.

When we reached the door, he seemed to be rejuvenated, and ran off whereas I faced darkness. In the distance, a dark figure illuminated by the flame's reflection fled from the grounds, almost at the gates. His blonde hair was a dead giveaway. I felt anger rush through me hotter than the flames behind me.

"_Malfoy you traitor! You bloody coward!_" I screamed as I chased after him, throwing as many _Impedimenta_ jinxes his way as possible. I growled in defeat as he reached the gates, disapparating the moment he passed them.

"DON'T CALL ME COWARD!" Snape screamed from behind me. _Harry!_

Snape's face twisted, inhuman, as though he were enduring immense pain. However, it was Harry who was disarmed and lying on the grass and Snape who was towering over him, his wand drawn.

"Harry!" I shouted, bolting toward them. Snape's head snapped up, but he made no move to attack me. Suddenly, my world went white with pain as I was thrown to the ground.

"No! Leave her! Go! _Go_!" He shouted, his voice becoming fainter as the pain grew louder. _Why isn't the pain going away?_

"Jenny… JENNY!" Harry's voice called out to me, reaching desperately for a reply.

I opened my eyes, his face brilliant against the night sky, flames dancing across his face, his emerald eyes…

"Your eyes… they're on fire," I said dreamily, realizing it was only a reflection of Hagrid's hut.

"Jenny, are you alright?"

"Ow… yeah," I folded my arm over my stomach, a sharp pain shooting through it as I tried to sit. Harry exhaled with relief, pulling me close to him and wrapping his arms around me.

"I thought I lost you…" he whispered, burying his face in my hair. I ignored the pain in my chest and closed my eyes for a moment.

"You'll never lose me, Harry" I opened my eyes, looking over his shoulder to see people trickling from the building and into the night. _Death eaters?_ "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Look," he loosened his grip and turned to see people gathering around something. He fell silent, giving me no explanation, and took my hand to pull me up. I knew we had to get over there, so I started forward- no matter how much my body screamed at me.

As we grew closer, I came to realize that the mass on the ground was a body- Dumbledore's.

Dumbledore, the greatest wizard I'd ever known- one with so much wisdom and so many answers… gone.

It was surreal, seeing his body there, no twinkle in his eye. He was something of a god, to me. An untouchable force of good- now lay broken on the grass.

So many questions formed in my brain that I near fell over. How could this happen? How could I let this happen? Dumbledore had left so many things unanswered… how would we ever learn it on our own?

I looked down at Harry, who had fallen to his knees beside Dumbledore. Dumbledore's eyes were closed, giving the illusion that he was sleeping, but I knew this was not so. Harry reached out, straightening the half-moon spectacles upon Dumbledore's nose and wiped a trickle of blood away with his sleeve. I slowly moved forward and kneeled beside Harry. As soon as he felt my touch, he turned into me, crying against my chest. I held him in my arms, providing solace for him as we mourned a great loss. Nothing, no physical pain, could compare to the pressing feeling in my chest.

I watched as Harry reached forward and took the locket into his hand, gripping it as if it were the only thing that could mend what had happened. The soft murmurs of students and staff around us blended together with the lights in which they held above their heads, a tribute to Dumbledore.

"Jenny… Jenny dear, you must go to the hospital wing," Professor McGonnogal placed her hand on my other shoulder. "Harry as well"

I looked back from her and to Harry, broken in my arms. I knew medicine couldn't cure his heartache, but staying here wouldn't either.

"No." he said between sobs, not wanting to leave Dumbledore's side. Without speaking, I took Harry's hand and stood. He didn't fight it; he only followed me into the castle. We stepped over rubies fallen from the glass, resembling drops of blood about the stone floor. Wails and sobs sounded as students came from their dorms and realized what had happened.

"Jenny… your chest" he said, breaking the otherwise silent air.

"What about it?" I asked, slowing to look at him.

"You're…" he reached forward, his touch bringing my attention to the pain, "bleeding."

I knew then that the pain in my chest was not only sorrow- something inside me had broken.

/

Haha, I'm so mean to you guys! What a cliffhanger! Well, you'll be glad to know, I hope, that I just got back from singing my first solo in a concert and I was amazing :) I sang Take My Heart Back, by Jennifer Love Hewitt. It was from a movie, "If Only"… It was never really that popular, and didn't have a soundtrack or anything, but my friend Gina and I learned it by ear (she played the piano part).

****Don't read the next part if you want to continue believing i'm not crying****

Of course, there's always something tipping the scales of good and evil. My father decided to show up- don't worry, i'm filing against him in court. If i'm lucky, he'll get 5 years in prison and a 10,000 dollar fine. If not, maybe i'll get that restraining order i've been wanting all these years.


	40. The Phoenix's Lament

I didn't make it anywhere near to the hospital wing. Once we reached the stairs I fell over. Harry nearly had to carry me, but I insisted I'd be alright walking. My legs were fine, after all. I just needed someone to help me a bit, so I suggested he linked his arm over my shoulder. That didn't exactly work, either. It just stretched my side out.

"Er… Maybe I should go on your good side?"

"Y-yeah," I said, one hand on the rail and the other around Harry. It helped to have some of my weight lifted off of me.

"When did you get hurt?"

"I don't know… probably when Snape cursed me and I got knocked back"

Somehow, mentioning his name didn't seem to help.

Pushing open the doors, we saw Neville lying, apparently asleep, in a bed near the door. The others were gathered around a bed further down the wing. When the doors opened, they all looked up. Hermione came rushing to us and hugged Harry and I.

"Agh- Hermione!" I choked as she hugged me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize-"

"Out of the way!" Madame Pomfrey weaved through them and ushered me to a bed. "Looks like you've broken a rib, dear. Maybe two"

"Will she be alright?" Hermione asked, mirroring Harry in moving closer to my bed.

"She'll be fine," she assured them, turning back to me. "Bloody lucky, you are, Miss Bennett. You could very well have died from this injury. Now don't move a muscle, I've got to go get a potion…" she turned and rushed off, mumbling to herself.

_Lucky…_

Harry didn't seem to register it as quickly as I had, but Hermione was right on it.

"We'd probably all be dead if it weren't for the Felix Felicis," she said, glancing at Harry, "it was rough, but the spells all seemed to just barely miss us"

"Hermione… who's that over there?" I asked, gesturing to the mangled body a few beds down. His face was unrecognizable. His hair was red, but that could have been from the blood. Surely it wasn't-

"That's Bill," Ron said, a horrified expression plastered on his face. I tried to see the resemblance between the body and the memory I had of Bill Weasley, but it was difficult. His body was so badly slashed and ripped that he looked grotesque.

"What happened?"

"Greyback," a woman said, bringing herself to my attention. I looked at her, trying to recall a name to match her face. Her hair was disheveled from the battle, her face traced with light lines from what must have been years of stressful work.

"He won't be a-" I looked to Lupin, hoping he'd answer.

"No, I don't think he will be a true werewolf, but that doesn't mean there won't be any changes. He might have some wolfish characteristics from now on… and scars"

"We messed up, Harry," Ron said drearily.

"No, I did. I let them get past me. I was there, in the room of requirement, when Malfoy let them in," my voice started to get shaky, so Hermione took over.

"But we saw them, thanks to the map. I could see the death eaters appearing, overtaking Jenny, so Neville and Ron-" then Lupin cut in.

"Luckily, they ran into us and we found the death eaters minutes later, heading for the Astronomy Tower"

"So if Jenny was in the Room of Requirement, and Ron and Neville were fighting death eaters-"

"I was so stupid, Harry!" Hermione whispered, her eyes sparkling with tears, "Luna and I were outside Snape's office when Professor Flitwick came sprinting down to the dungeons, shouting about Death Eaters in the castle, he went into Snape's office, saying that he had to go back and help when we heard a loud thump and Snape came hurtling out of his room and he saw us and- and-"

"What?" Harry urged her as she finally took a breath.

"He said Professor Flitwick had collapsed and that we should go take care of him while he- while he went to help fight the Death Eaters. We went into his office to help Professor Flitwick and found him d-dead on the floor… oh, it's so obvious now! Snape killed him! Harry, we didn't know- we just let Snape go!"

"It's not your fault," Lupin said firmly, "had you not obeyed Snape and gotten out of the way, he probably would have killed you and Luna"

Hearing that just made it all the more worse.

/

Harry's POV

"So then he came upstairs," I said, trying to paint a picture of what happened, "and came to the fight-"

"We were in trouble, we were losing," the woman said in a low voice, "the Death Eaters were ready to fight to the death. Neville was hurt, Bill had been savaged by Greyback… it was dark… curses flying everywhere… the Malfoy boy had vanished, he must have slipped past, up the stairs… then more Death Eaters ran after him, but one of them used some curse to block the stairs. Neville ran after them, and it sent him flying back-"

"And then Snape came and ran right through the barrier as if it weren't there. I tried to follow, but I was thrown back just like Neville," Lupin added, "I just assumed he knew a spell we didn't and was just in a hurry to get up to the tower-"

"He was," I said savagely, "but to help them, not to stop them… and I'll bet that curse only allowed people with dark marks to pass through… so what happened when he came down?"

"Well, a big Death Eater collapsed half the ceiling and broke the curse on the stairs," Lupin said, "We all ran forward, those who could, anyway, and then Snape and the Malfoy boy emerged out of the dust- obviously, none of us attacked them"

"We just let them pass," the woman said in a hollow voice, "thought they were being chased by Death Eaters- then Greyback and the others were back and attacked again- I think Snape shouted something, but I don't know what-"

"He said 'it's over'," Jenny said, all color drained from her face, "he'd done what he'd meant to do"

/

The doors of the hospital wing burst open, making them all jump: Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were striding up the ward, Fleur just behind them, her beautiful face struck with horror.

"Bill- Oh, Bill!" Mrs. Weasley darted past as she caught sight of Bill's mangled face, pressing her lips to his bloody forehead.

"You said Greyback attacked him?" Mr. Weasley asked distractedly, "but he wasn't transformed? So what will happen to him, then?"

"We don't know," Professor McGonnogal said, looking helplessly at Lupin for help.

"There will probably be some contamination, Arthur," Lupin said as Mrs. Weasley sniffed the ointment from Madame Pomfrey and began dabbing his wounds. "We don't know what he'll be like when he wakes up. It's an odd case"

"And Dumbledore..." Mr. Weasley began. "Minerva, is he really…?"

Professor McGonnogal nodded solemnly.

"Dumbledore- gone," Mr. Weasley whispered.

"Flitwick as well," she added tenderly, but Mrs. Weasley's eyes teared only for her eldest son.

"Of course… his looks don't really matter… but he was a very handsome little b-boy… always very handsome… he was g-going to b-be married!"

"What do you mean by zat?" Fleur bursted, "What do you mean, 'he was going to be married?'"

Mrs. Weasley looked up, her tear stained face startled at her outburst, "Well, only that-"

"You think Bill will not wish to marry me anymore?" she demanded, "You think that because of this, he will not love me?"

"Well, I thought, perhaps- given how- how he-"

"You thought I would not wish to marry him? Or perhaps- you hoped! I do not care how he looks! I am good looking enough for both of us! These scars only show that my husband is brave! I _shall_ marry Bill!" Fleur snatched the ointment from her. No one dared move, as we were all waiting for the explosion. After a long pause full of dabbing, Mrs. Weasley finally broke the silence.

"Our Great Auntie Muriel has a gorgeous tiara- goblin made- which I'm sure I could persuade her into lending you for the wedding. She's quite fond of Bill, you know, and it would look lovely with your hair"

"Thank you," she said stiffly, "Zat will be lovely"

Suddenly, without any warning, they were crying and hugging each other. I looked to Hermione, unsure whether or not this was a delirious dream set by my potion. She seemed just as stunned as I was.

"See! She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!" the woman exclaimed, suddenly directing a glare at Lupin.

"It's different," Lupin said, "Bill won't be a full werewolf, the cases are completely-"

"But I don't care either, Remus! I never have!"

And suddenly it clicked; she was a scorned lover.

"I've told you a million times-"

"I've said all along that you're being ridiculous, Remus," Mrs. Weasley said over Fleur's shoulder, still holding a meaningful hug.

"I'm not being ridiculous, she deserves someone whole," he said steadily, as if he had said this many times.

"But she wants you," Mr. Weasley smiled, "after all, whole men do not always necessarily remain so," he said, gesturing sadly toward Bill.

"This…. This is not the time to discuss this," Lupin said, avoiding everyone's eyes, "Dumbledore is dead…"

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," Professor McGonogal said bluntly.

Just then, Hagrid came in and spoke to McGonnogal: something about the Minister coming to see her. I suppose it makes since, as she would be the headmistress in Dumbledore's place. "Harry, I would like a word with you please," she said as we all went silent by her words.

"See you in a bit," Harry met my eyes before following her out. _We'll talk later. _

People started to trickle out, then. Soon it was just Hermione, me, and the phoenix's soft mourning song seeping through the windows.

"Jenny… there's something I ought to tell you," Hermione said, pausing to make sure I was alright to hear it. I looked up at her, welcoming whatever she had holding inside of her. "When I was looking at the map, I saw you and Malfoy in the room of requirement and-" she took a deep breath, "the death eaters came. When they left, one stayed behind"

"Alaric," I said curtly.

"Well, that's just it. The name that appeared-" she stopped, rethinking her choice to have said anything at all.

"Yes?" I said after her pause, not willing to let her stop now. What could she be trying to say?

"The name that appeared on the map was Alaric _Gaunt_"

"I don't understand-"

"It's just what I saw," she said, shifting her feet, "good night, Jenny"

As I lay there, staring at the ceiling, questions swirling about my head even more feverishly than before, I became aware that it was silent. Fawkes had stopped singing. The phoenix had left Hogwarts, probably never to return again.


	41. Silent Whispers, Silent Tears

Harry's POV

I sat on the edge of Jenny's bed that morning, turning the locket over in my hands. The whole thing was in vain- it's not even a real horcrux. The whole thing seemed like a distant nightmare now; had it even happened? Jenny's first move upon awakening was to take my hand, but she found the locket in it and instead lifted it to see it better.

"This-"

"It's a fake," I said.

She continued to stare at it, her forehead creasing as she focused on the locket turning slowly as it hung from her finger.

"Have you seen it before?" I asked, realizing she might be looking at it because she remembered it. She didn't respond, but continued to finger it curiously. "It's important if you have"

"I know, Harry. I'm trying"

"So you have seen it, then?" I sat erect, suddenly eager to learn more. If she recognizes it, then maybe she knows where the real one is.

"I don't know, Harry. I'm just really confused right now, okay?"

I didn't push her any further, but perhaps in time she would remember something.

"Harry," she said, clutching the locket in her hand before returning her eyes to mine. "Something happened last night"

She paused, as if expecting me to speak. If that was the punch line- I didn't get it.

"Well?"

"When I was in the room of requirement, when the death eaters came, I couldn't move and now that I've thought about it, I don't think anyone hexed me. I think fear made me unable to move- I was scared-" she started to tear up as she tried to confess.

"Well that's a good thing," I tried to comfort her, "if you had tried to stop them, they probably would have killed you"

"But I let them go by, Harry. Maybe if I did something Dumbledore wouldn't…"

"I froze, too- in the astronomy tower. I was scared, I didn't want to see him die, but I did. I just stood there while Snape-" I clenched my fist, but managed to restrain myself. "I guess my point is, that we both got scared and because of it, we're both alive. So, I guess… I guess it's not all that bad"

"Oh, Harry, that's not even the worst part. My father stayed behind the others and Hermione said that the name on the map that stayed was different. That it was Alaric _Gaunt_," her lip trembled at the name. "I don't even know who I am anymore!" she cried as I pulled her into my chest, stroking her long golden hair.

/

Jenny's POV

Just this once, packing to leave Hogwarts was a welcoming task. I needed to get away from it for a while, after all that had happened. The Hogwarts Express would be leaving an hour after the funeral. Everyone was in the great hall, clad in black dress robes, and no one seemed very hungry. Dumbledore's throne-like chair remained empty, as was Hagrid's. He probably couldn't face the mournful breakfast. I raised my eyes to the Slytherin table, which seemed oddly empty without its tall blond leader.

I hadn't thought too much about Malfoy, even as I had spent so much time this year trying to reach out to him. Why would Dumbledore assign me that task in the first place? If he knew all I had told him, why didn't he do something?

My brow creased as I pondered the question- trying desperately to find some sort of reason in his actions. Something that would make it all seem-

_Leglimency_.

He must have needed someone to talk to Draco so Voldemort wouldn't be able to see that Dumbledore was doing it. After all this, Dumbledore had acted to protect Draco at the cost of his own life. He had to have seen it coming, but he didn't try to stop it.

_What could Voldemort be making Malfoy do under the threat of killing him and his family, now? Malfoy was his puppet, strung from his long cold fingers. _

A strong nudge stopped my train of thought, as Hermione was signaling to pay attention. Professor McGonnogal had risen to her feet, ending all conversations in the hall.

"It's time," she said, "Please follow your Heads of House out to the grounds. Gryffindors, after me"

We stood in silence, as if our movements were controlled by a remote and we simply obeyed without thought. I followed suit toward the lake, the warmth of the sun caressing my face as we filed into our seats. The weather was so beautiful it was almost mocking- or perhaps it was a gift to Dumbledore's passing, to his memory.

The only funeral I have ever been to was my mother's and I hardly remembered it. It was so long ago that I had to count in my head the years it had been. I hadn't been to a funeral for Karen Wilde, though I hadn't put much thought as to why. With Sirius there was no body to bury, so no one thought to have a funeral. I suppose it was because there was no body to bury. It had been so long since I'd dedicated much thought to them that I felt the weight of guilt bring me sinking in my seat.

A variety of people showed up to the funeral, most I didn't recognize. There were some from the Order of the Phoenix, such as Mad-eye, and Lupin, who seemed to be holding hands with the woman from the hospital wing. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"Hermione- who's that woman with Lupin?" I asked, realizing she was looking as well.

"I heard Lupin call her Meghan. She's going to be our charms teacher now that-" she stopped short, but had no need to finish.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley walked to their seats, and even Bill, with the help of Fleur, followed by Fred and George. There were people from Hogsmeade, shop owners who had come to pay their respects, and people who visited for the tri-wizard tournament, like Madame Maxine.

My eyes scanned the crowd as I sat down and, with a jolt of fury, spotted the sadistic toad with an unconvincing expression of grief upon her sour face. My fists clenched, draining color from the backs of my hands so that the scarred words looked like blood carved into the marble walls of Dumbledore's grave.

_I must not keep secrets. _

_I will conform._

Harry's hand over mine relaxed me, but it did not settle the bitter resentment on my tongue, aching to expel her from the grounds and, preferably, the planet. Why did she bother coming? She wasn't fooling anyone. She was happy Dumbledore was gone- I was sure of it. Just the thought sickened me.

I gave Harry's hand a squeeze, turning to look at the sunlit waters of the black lake. A chorus of merpeople sang just below the surface in a foreign language, their hair flowing around them with the gentle currents. Then, down the aisle came Hagrid, a limp star-specked bundle of robes in his arms. I immediately recognized it as Dumbledore, and tears became abundant as they streamed down my face.

Hagrid placed Dumbledore's body at the front and returned to his seat, leaving a stout man to take our attention. He spoke of Dumbledore's intellectual contribution to the wizarding world, the nobility of his spirit, and the greatness of his heart. His words sounded rehearsed as if they were repeated at every funeral the man conducted, and not tailored to Dumbledore as a person.

But how much did I really know about Dumbledore? I didn't know much of his family or his past, but I did know the kind of man he was. He was a kind, wise, and curious old man who was loved by all. I couldn't think of one kind-hearted person who held spite to him. No one could hold a candle to Dumbledore- no one.

Then, suddenly, Harry clutched my hand so tight that I stopped everything to look at him. His once empty face was now spilling hot tears as he turned away from me and looked to the forest where the centaurs emerged from its depths to pay their respects. They stayed in the shadows, but the sun caught the contours of their bodies enough for me to see them.

I turned back to the man as he droned on, looking past him to the gentle body resting behind him. Faded memories and words passed through my mind like a soft breeze brushing through the grass.

I remembered my first time in his office- my first time at Hogwarts.

"_Sir, I was hoping to speak to you," I walked in and stopped before his desk. _

"_I was hoping you would come on your own. Now, what is it that's troubling you?" _

"_N-nothing sir! I was just wondering, since I've just begun to learn about magic, if it's really okay to be with the fourth years," He's way to perceptive. _

"_Well, you are fourteen, are you not?" _

"_Yes, sir"_

"_Then you'll have to study hard and make friends, but you are indeed a fourth year. If that is all…"_

"_Actually, sir, Karen told me you had been writing with her for some time, that she was expecting your letter"_

"_Ah, yes. I am well informed on your situation, my dear"_

"_She said such, however, I was hoping you could tell me more about my past"_

"_You are eager, aren't you?" his eyes twinkled mischievously behind his spectacles. _

"_Yes, sir," I nodded, answering quickly. _

"_That knowledge is something you need to discover on your own"_

_I sighed, I should have known. Even if he did know anything, he didn't seem the type to let me off easy. He smiled, as if he knew what I was thinking. _

"_I suppose, if I focus on my studying, I might gain that knowledge prematurely?" _

"_If you study, you shall gain that knowledge when you are well learned. You will find that where your heart leads you may not be where you expect, but that you will discover the truth, yes." _

_I felt a little confused, but nodded. _

I remembered in fourth year when Harry had just been sucked into a Pensieve in Dumbledore's absence.

"_I see you've found my Pensieve"_

_I jumped, turning to see Dumbledore behind me. _

"_I couldn't help it, sir. Harry- he just fell in!" _

"_Don't worry, Jenny, he is merely inside of a memory"_

"_A memory, sir?"_

"_This is a Pensieve. You can cast your memories into it, so that you may review them at any time without worrying about forgetting details," he said, seemingly deep in thought. "Licorice snap?" he asked cheerfully. _

I remembered times when Dumbledore's words had given me the strength to fight.

"_I can tell you about Michelle. I can answer all of your questions. I can tell you who killed her. All you have to do is give me the prophecy," he outstretched his hand, palm open and empty. _

_Tempted, I looked down at the swirling magic. If I were to give it to him, I would have all of my answers. It would be easy: simple. _

_However, I remembered what Dumbledore's words last year: __If you study, you shall gain that knowledge when you are well learned. You will find that where your heart leads you may not be where you expect, but that you __**will**__ discover the truth. _

"_Never!" _

I remembered times when his words had given Harry strength.

_Dumbledore ran over to us and I sat back, horrified. Harry was struggling physically as well as mentally for control over his own body. He curled back like a snake and thrashed around. _

"_It's not how you are alike- it's how you are not" Dumbledore spoke, attempting to contact him through his struggle for control. "Harry?"_

"_You're the weak one… You'll never know love… or friendship… and I feel sorry for you."_

I remembered when Dumbledore had all the answers.

"_You asked me to kill you, you know," I looked up, "do you remember?"_

_Harry shook his head. _

"_It was Voldemort hoping you'd take revenge on Harry for your mother's death. Trying to fool you into thinking you could kill him by killing Harry," Dumbledore walked over to us. I hadn't noticed him arrive. We looked up at him, but didn't speak. _

"_I should have told you, Harry. I hoped that by distancing myself from you, as I have done this year, that Voldemort would be less tempted to make the connection between you"_

"_The prophecy said neither one can live while the other survives. That means one of us is going to have to kill the other in the end," Harry waited for confirmation. _

"_Yes"_

Only one of them is going to make it through the war._ This thought had occurred to me, and didn't surprise me- but it felt like it was happening so quickly. _

"_Sir, our prophecies turned purple when they were near each other" Harry asked. Dumbledore's head snapped up. He must have been thinking, but not revealing everything to us. _

"_Iunctus Oraculum. There are, though extremely rare, cases where one prophecy affects another. Connected prophecies. You see- there was not only one prophecy Voldemort wanted in his possession. Voldemort wanted those prophecies because he only heard the first part of the prophecy all those years ago. He believes the rest could tell him how to be victorious"_

_Tell him how to kill Harry. _

"_Why didn't you tell me?" _

"_For the same reason you tried to save Jenny, and she tried to protect you. After all these years, after all you've suffered; I didn't want to cause you any more pain. I care too much about you"_

_I guess I cared too much_.


	42. In The End

Harry's POV

I found myself reminiscing memories of Dumbledore, and froze at a particularly disturbing one.

It was at the Ministry, just after the battle in the department of mysteries. There was a moment, however painfully long it seemed, where Voldemort had seized control of me. I twisted and turned as I fought for control over my own body. It was Dumbledore whose words gave me strength to finally expel him from my body.

That's not the worst part. Not even close.

It was after he left my body, when he seemingly stopped time upon leaving it, he stood behind Jenny. His words sent a shudder down my body, even now.

_I have seen your heart- and it is mine._

It was then, as the flames died, that I realized it was time to do what I've known I must do ever since Dumbledore's death. I didn't care that we were connected by fate- our lives aren't simple like they would be if we weren't part of this- but we are. No matter what, I wanted her out of this as much as possible. I couldn't let her follow my parents, Sirius, Dumbledore… they all died for me- I won't have it anymore. No one else would die for me.

/

Jenny's POV

I drew my hand back from Harry as I remembered the consequence of caring too much. _Maybe it's best if we… distanced ourselves a bit._

But then I realized that these things happened because I had resisted being with Harry. The more I tried to protect him with distance, the more danger I ended up putting him in.

_No. We're in this together. _

I reached for Harry's hand, lacing my fingers with his to show him that there was nothing that could keep us apart. Not even death.

"Jenny," I looked in his eyes, so conflicted and hurt- he had been thinking the same exact thing. "Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to… I can't let that happen with you… I have to do things alone now"

"He's already used me to get to you. He knows already. Doing this now would just make things worse, Harry. You'd be weak- vulnerable. You need me- you need us"

"She's right, Harry," Ron said, entering the conversation. "It's the four of us- it's got to be"

"No, I couldn't live with myself if this was your funeral, knowing it was my fault. That I could have stopped it"

That's exactly how I had felt in battle, when Harry was chasing Snape. I had to follow him, to make sure he was safe. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he was hurt and I hadn't been there.

"Harry, you know that even if you tried to leave alone, we'd just follow you. We won't let you do it," Hermione said, tears hot on her cheeks as Ron held her in his chest.

Harry looked back to me, but found no weakness in my blazing eyes. I wasn't going to back down.

"I need to take a walk," Harry said, cutting out and walking toward the lake's edge. Rufus Scrimengeour took the opening to try to talk to Harry, and followed him.

"Let him go, Jenny," Hermione advised. I nodded, my eyes not leaving his back as they walked along the water. _Of course, I'd expect nothing less of Harry than to try to protect me this way. It isn't the first time, but it's got to be the last. The last time we separated, Sirius died. No way we were going to give up- it wouldn't be right. Dumbledore seemed to think that our love was good- that it would save us. Harry must remember that, but he's probably just trying to deal with it. _

When Scrimengeur finally left, the three of us ran to catch up with Harry.

"What did Scrimengeour want?" Hermione asked.

"Same as at Christmas," he shrugged, "he wanted me to give him inside information on Dumbledore and be the Ministry's poster boy"

Ron seemed to struggle for a moment before bursting, "Let me go back and hit Percy!" to Hermione.

"No," she grabbed his arm, her voice firm.

"It'll make me feel better!" he argued. Harry laughed, I cracked a smile, and even Hermione smiled a little, though it faded as she looked up at the castle.

"I can't bear the idea of not coming back," she said softly, "How can Hogwarts close?"

"Maybe it won't," I said, trying to salvage the possibility, "Can't be more dangerous here than anywhere else with all of the brilliant wizards gathered in one place"

"I'm not coming back even if it does reopen," Harry said, causing Ron to gape in response, but I wasn't surprised, "I'll go back to the Dursley's just once more, because Dumbledore wanted me to, but then I'll be gone for good"

"Then where will you go?" Hermione asked. _We. Where will __**we**__ go? _I screamed in my mind.

"Godric's Hollow- where it all started. I just feel like I need to go there, and I can visit my parents' graves, too. Then I've got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes," he resolved, "That's what he wanted me to do, why he told me all about them. If Dumbledore was right- I'm sure he was- then there's still four out there. I've got to find them and destroy them- then I've got to find Voldemort and kill the last piece of his soul that's still in him," he said, leaving a long silence.

"I think Godric's Hollow is a good place for us to start," I broke the silence, "if there's four horcruxes left, we know we've got the diary and the ring, but we still need the real necklace, and the other things probably belong to the founders. We know about the snake, but from what Dumbledore's told me, at least one of the others ought to be something that belonged to a founder. I was thinking, maybe there's something from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor"

"Alright, but before we go anywhere, we've got to go back to my mum and dad's house," Ron declared.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Fleur and Bill's wedding, remember?" Ron replied. Harry looked back, startled, as he'd forgotten that something that normal could still happen. It was something incredible and wonderful.

"Yeah," he said, finally, "we shouldn't miss that"

His hand closed over mine in spite of everything, in spite of the dark twisting path stretching ahead of us, in spite that in a month or a year or in ten, we'd have to face the most gruesome battle in history, in spite of everything, my heart lifted at the thought that there was still one last day of peace to enjoy with them and I knew that no matter what lie ahead, we'd be alright because in the end, love is stronger than death.

/

Thanks so much for reading, you guys! It was great writing Far Away, I enjoyed it very much and I hope you enjoyed reading it. The next book will be called How Far We've Come and will be equivalent to the Deathly Hallows book. I have a couple of pieces of news to share with you. The first is, I will now be accepting oneshot requests! I posted the form in a "story", which you can find in my stuff under the folder "oneshots/requests". I'll be doing a few of those before I start up How Far We've Come. Second, I highly recommend The Very Potter Musical to all of you. The University of Michigan's theater program (Starship) put it on a few years ago, and it's on youtube for your viewing pleasure. They also have a sequel, which is equally amazing. They're like the musical/parody/amazingness of all that is Harry Potter.

.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk

And don't forget to message me your oneshot form if you want one! It'll be your own little mini-Harry-Potter-story just for you!

I'll post all of the oneshots as chapters in a story, which I will name "One In A Million", just because it's a collection of a million oneshots. Hey, it's better than naming it "A Collection of Oneshots", right?


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